hiccup

Meaning

Noun

1. A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.
2. A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.
3. Any spasm or sudden change.
4. (informal) A minor setback.

Verb

1. To produce a hiccup; have the hiccups.
2. To say with a hiccup.
3. To produce an abortive sound like a hiccup.

Synonyms

hiccough

singultus

burp

belch

howl

kink

retch

stand on tiptoe

hickup

catch

hiccups

hitch

Hyphenated as

hic‧cup

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhɪkʌp/

Etymology

From earlier hickop, alteration of earlier hicket, hyckock, from hic (onomatopoeic) + -ock (diminutive suffix).
Akin to Scots hick, hix (“hiccup”), West Frisian hik (“hiccup”), Dutch hik (“hiccup”), Middle Low German hükup, huckup, hueckup (modern Low German hick (“hiccup”)), German hicksen (“to hiccup”, verb), Alemannic German Hidsgi (“hiccup”), Danish hikke (“hiccup”), Swedish hicka (“hiccup”), hicka (“to hiccup”, verb), Icelandic hiksti (“hiccup”).
Displaced Middle English yexen, ȝisken, ȝixen, ȝoxen (“to hiccup”), from Old English ġiscian, ġeocsian (“to hiccup”).