Library / English Dictionary

HICCUP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: hiccupped    , hiccupping   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

(usually plural) the state of having reflex spasms of the diaphragm accompanied by a rapid closure of the glottis producing an audible sound; sometimes a symptom of indigestion

Example:

how do you cure the hiccups?

Synonyms:

hiccough; hiccup; singultus

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("hiccup" is a kind of...):

inborn reflex; innate reflex; instinctive reflex; physiological reaction; reflex; reflex action; reflex response; unconditioned reflex (an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus)

symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)

Derivation:

hiccup (breathe spasmodically, and make a sound)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Breathe spasmodically, and make a sound

Example:

When you have to hiccup, drink a glass of cold water

Synonyms:

hiccough; hiccup

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "hiccup" is one way to...):

breathe; respire; suspire; take a breath (draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

hiccup ((usually plural) the state of having reflex spasms of the diaphragm accompanied by a rapid closure of the glottis producing an audible sound; sometimes a symptom of indigestion)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The researchers found that contractions of the diaphragm muscle from a hiccup evoked a pronounced response in the brain's cortex—two large brainwaves followed by a third.

(Baby Hiccups Key to Brain Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Hiccups begin in the womb at just nine weeks gestational age, making them one of the earliest established patterns of activity.

(Baby Hiccups Key to Brain Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The reasons for why we hiccup are not entirely clear, but there may be a developmental reason, given that fetuses and newborn babies hiccup so frequently, said the study's lead author, research associate Kimberley Whitehead (UCL Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology).

(Baby Hiccups Key to Brain Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Kimberley Whitehead said: Our findings have prompted us to wonder whether hiccups in adults, which appear to be mainly a nuisance, may in fact by a vestigial reflex, left over from infancy when it had an important function.

(Baby Hiccups Key to Brain Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The activity resulting from a hiccup may be helping the baby's brain to learn how to monitor the breathing muscles so that eventually breathing can be voluntary controlled by moving the diaphragm up and down, said the study's senior author, Dr. Lorenzo Fabrizi (UCL Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology).

(Baby Hiccups Key to Brain Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

As the third brainwave is similar to that evoked by a noise, a newborn baby's brain may be able to link the 'hic' sound of the hiccup with the feel of the diaphragm muscle contraction.

(Baby Hiccups Key to Brain Development, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)