Word Study
tic
CIDE DICTIONARY
tic, n. [F.].
A local and habitual convulsive motion of certain muscles; especially, such a motion of some of the muscles of the face; twitching; velication; -- called also spasmodic tic . Dunglison. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
tic, n. a habitual spasmodic contraction of the muscles esp. of the face.
Idiom
tic douloureux trigeminal neuralgia.
Etymology
F f. It. ticchio: douloureux F, = painful
THESAURUS
tic
abstraction, abulia, agitation, alienation, anxiety, anxiety equivalent, anxiety state, apathy, apprehensiveness, attack of nerves, bob, bobble, bounce, buck fever, bump, case of nerves, catatonic stupor, complex, compulsion, dejection, depression, detachment, didder, dither, elation, emotionalism, euphoria, excessive irritability, falter, fascination, fear, fidgetiness, fidgets, fixation, fixed idea, folie du doute, grimace, hang-up, hypercathexis, hypochondria, hysteria, hysterics, idee fixe, indifference, insensibility, irresistible impulse, jar, jerk, jig, jigget, jiggle, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, lethargy, mania, melancholia, mental distress, monomania, morbid drive, morbid excitability, nerves, nervosity, nervous stomach, nervousness, obsession, obsessive compulsion, panic, panickiness, pathological indecisiveness, possession, preoccupation, prepossession, psychalgia, psychomotor disturbance, quake, quaver, quiver, rictus, ruling passion, shake, shiver, shock, shudder, spell of nerves, stage fright, state of nerves, stupor, tremble, tremor, trepidation, twitch, twitching, twitter, uneasiness, unresponsiveness, vellication, withdrawal, wobbleFor further exploring for "tic" in Webster Dictionary Online