English
colic
Colic comes from French colique, from Ancient Greek κωλικός ‘suffering in the colon’, and ultimately from κῶλον ‘member’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκῶλον‘member’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκωλικόςkōlikós‘suffering in the colon’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcolique
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1597colic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκῶλον‘member’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκωλικόςkōlikós‘suffering in the colon’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcolique
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1597colic
Earliest quotation: c. 1597, William Shakespeare, The History of Henrie the Fourth; […]: “Diſeaſed nature oftentimes breakes forth, / In ſtrange eruptions,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- ‘to bend, crook’
cylinder, calender, chalice, skelly, scoliosis, 17 more
through Ancient Greek κῶλον ‘member’
Today it means
noun Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease that causes such pains (due to intestinal or bowel-related problems).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek κῶλον / colic