collywobbles

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun severe gastroenteritis of unknown etiology; characterized by severe colic and vomiting and diarrhea

Etymology

Probably from colic (“severe pains that grip the abdomen”) + wobble (“unsteady motion”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from colly (“coal dust”) (in the sense of someone becoming ill from breathing in such dust), or that it is a corruption of cholera.

In classic literature

Synonyms

cholera morbus

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