VELLICATION

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

A sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition

Synonyms:

twitch; twitching; vellication

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

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

cramp; muscle spasm; spasm (a painful and involuntary muscular contraction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vellication"):

tic (a local and habitual twitching especially in the face)

blepharism (condition in which a person blinks continuously)

fibrillation (muscular twitching involving individual muscle fibers acting without coordination)

fasciculation (muscular twitching of contiguous groups of muscle fibers)

Derivation:

vellicate (touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements)