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hiccup

Etymology and origin of the English word hiccup

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhɪkʌp/, /ˈhɪkəp/[1]

Etymology

Of imitative origin.[2][3][4][5] It is a variant of earlier hicket (1540) and hyckock (1538),[4][5][6] and parallel to French hoquet, Middle Dutch hick, Danish hikke and Swedish hicka.[4][5] The spelling hiccough (1626) comes from a mistaken association with cough.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

An involuntary spasm of the diaphragm checked by the closing of the glottis, with a characteristic sound (1580).[7][4][3] Etymonline dates the form hickop to the 1570s.[5]

Semantic evolution

The modern spelling hiccup is first recorded in 1788.[4][5] Etymonline notes that an Old English word for hiccups, ælfsogoða, blamed them on elves.[5] The figurative sense “a brief interruption, a minor setback”, as in the stock market, dates from 1965.[7][3][6]

Timeline

  • 1538 – hyckock.[4]
  • 1540 – hicket.[4]
  • 1580 – hickop, the spasm; also the verb.[7][4]
  • 1626 – the spelling hiccough.[4]
  • 1788 – the spelling hiccup; verb, to utter with hiccups.[4][7]
  • 1965 – a minor interruption or setback.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A spasm of the diaphragm causing a quick inhalation that is suddenly stopped by the closing of the glottis, with a sharp sound; also the sound itself.
  2. (usually plural) An attack of such spasms.
  3. A minor difficulty, interruption or setback.

Verb

  1. To make a hiccup, or a sound like one.
  2. To have an attack of hiccups.

Usage notes

The spelling hiccough is an accepted variant, but is pronounced the same way as hiccup.[3][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Hiccup.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hiccup. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·