| Word of the
Week--"hiccup"
|
Definition--a spasm of the
diaphragm causing a sudden involuntary
inhalation that is quickly cut off by another inhalation of the
glottis.
|
Discussion--if you've never had
the hiccups, the feeling is hard
to describe. The word itself is imitative of the sound one makes when
hiccuping. The variant spelling
hiccough is due to the association with coughing. In English,
hiccup has come to be used colloquially
as a term describing a brief or temporary setback.
|
| Etymology--Hiccup is a
variant of earlier terms such as
hicket and hyckock. It has several similar variations in
other languages as shown below.
|
Foreign
Translations
| German: |
Schluckauf (m) |
| Dutch: |
hik (de) |
| French: |
hoquet (m) |
| Italian: |
singhiozzo |
| Spanish: |
hipo |
|
