Migraine
Pronunciation
- enPR: mÄ«'grÄn, IPA: /ˈmaɪɡreɪn/, /ˈmiÉ¡reɪn/
- Rhymes: -aɪɡreɪn
Origin
1777 re-spelling (following French) of late 14th century Middle English megrim, from 13th century Old French migraigne, from Vulgar Latin pronunciation of Late Latin hemicrania ("pain in one half of the head"), from Ancient Greek ἡμικÏανία (hemikrania), from ἡμι- (hÄ“mi-, "hemi-, half") + κÏανίον (kranion, "skull") (whence also cranium)
Online Etymology Dictionary
, from a literal translation of Egyptian gs-tp 'headache'
Borghouts, The magical texts of Papyrus Leiden I 348, 1971. p.9
.
Cognate to megrim, hemicrania.
Full definition of migraine
Noun
migraine
(plural migraines)- (pathology) A severe, disabling headache, usually affecting only one side of the head, and often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, photophobia and visual disturbances.He had a headache so bad that he wished he was dead, but it was the sort of migraine that promised him he would continue to suffer but not die.After consuming too much coffee every day for six weeks, she got severe migraines that would last up until 47 minutes after her first cup of coffee.