Where does “tic” come from?
Tic comes from French tic, a word of imitative origin denoting an involuntary muscle spasm or habitual gesture.
tic (English): A sudden, nonrhythmic motor movement or...
Definitions
- A sudden, nonrhythmic motor movement or...
Ancestry of “tic”, step by step
tic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ticket
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ticket | A pass entitling the holder to admission to a... |
| 2 | Middle French | estiquet | a slip of paper with names of witnesses on it |
| 3 | Middle French | estiquier | Alternative form of estacher |
| 4 | Middle French | estacher | to attach |
| 5 | Old French | estachier | Alternative form of atachier; bind; to fasten... |
| 6 | Old French | estache | stake; strap |
| 7 | Medieval Latin | staca | a stake |
| 8 | Gothic | 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌺𐌰 | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | stakô | stake |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |
via French tic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | tic | tic |