tic

views updated May 17 2018

tic / tik/ • n. a habitual spasmodic contraction of the muscles, most often in the face. ∎ a characteristic or recurrent behavioral trait; idiosyncrasy: I began with the kind of generalization that was one of my primary tics as a writer.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

tic

views updated May 21 2018

tic (tik) n. a repeated and largely involuntary movement varying in complexity from the twitch of a muscle to elaborate well-coordinated actions. Simple tics occur in about a quarter of children and usually disappear within a year. See also Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. t. douloureux see neuralgia.

A Dictionary of Nursing

TIC

views updated May 11 2018

TIC (or tic) Law taken into consideration (of an offence)
• total inorganic carbon (in chemical analysis)
• tourist information centre

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH