sick

== English == === Pronunciation === enPR: sĭk, IPA(key): /ˈsɪk/ Homophones: sic, Sikh Rhymes: -ɪk Hyphenation: sick === Etymology 1 === From Middle English sik, sike, seek, seke, seok, from Old English sēoc (“sick, ill”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuk, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sewg- (“to be troubled or grieved”). See also West Frisian siik, Dutch ziek, German siech, Norwegian Bokmål syk, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish sjuk, Danish syg; also Middle Irish socht (“silence, depression”), Old Armenian հիւծանիմ (hiwcanim, “to be weakening”). The "very good, excellent" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "in poor health". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and wicked. ==== Adjective ==== sick (comparative sicker, superlative sickest) In poor health; ill. Synonyms: ill, not well, poorly, sickly, unwell; see also Thesaurus:diseased Antonyms: fit, healthy, well [with with] Afflicted by (a specific condition, usually medical). Having an urge to vomit. Synonyms: nauseated; see also Thesaurus:nauseated (colloquial) Mentally unstable, disturbed. Synonyms: disturbed, twisted, warped (colloquial) In bad taste. [with of] Tired of or annoyed by (something that has lasted a long time or often recurs). (slang) Very good, excellent, awesome, badass. Synonyms: rad, wicked; see also Thesaurus:excellent Antonyms: crap, naff, uncool In poor condition. (agriculture) Failing to sustain adequate harvests of crop, usually specified. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== Tok Pisin: sik → Dutch: sick → Navajo: sxih → Tamil: சீக்கு (cīkku) ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== sick (uncountable) (UK, Australia, colloquial) Vomit. (UK, colloquial) (especially in the phrases on the sick and on long-term sick) Any of various current or former benefits or allowances paid by the Government to support the sick, disabled or incapacitated. ===== Usage notes ===== (ill): sickie a day of sick leave, often implying some level of deceit as in "throw a sickie" - take a day's sick leave for some other purpose. go down like a cup of cold sick / go down like a cup of sick ===== Synonyms ===== (vomit): See Thesaurus:vomit ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== sick (third-person singular simple present sicks, present participle sicking, simple past and past participle sicked) (UK, Australia, colloquial) To vomit. (obsolete except in dialect, intransitive) To fall sick; to sicken. ===== Derived terms ===== sick up === Etymology 2 === Variant of sic, itself an alteration of seek. ==== Verb ==== sick (third-person singular simple present sicks, present participle sicking, simple past and past participle sicked) (rare) Alternative spelling of sic (“set upon”). 1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey, 1991 LB Books edition, page 154, "...is just something God sicks on people who have the gall to accuse Him of having created an ugly world." 2001 (publication date), Anna Heilman, Never Far Away: The Auschwitz Chronicles of Anna Heilman, University of Calgary Press, →ISBN, page 82, Now they find a new entertainment: they sick the dog on us. === Anagrams === CKIs == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from English sick. Doublet of ziek. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /sɪk/ Rhymes: -ɪk Homophone: sik === Adjective === sick (comparative sicker, superlative sickst) (slang) sick (amazing, awesome, excellent) Synonyms: vet, ziek Hij heeft laatst een sicke LP uitgebracht. ― He recently released a sick LP. Dat was één van de sickste ervaringen van mijn leven. ― That was one of the awesomest experiences of my life. ==== Declension ==== == Middle English == === Adjective === sick alternative form of sik