French Conversation · Level 8
90 words
French word
tic
Pronunciation
IPA/tik/
Meaning
- masculine nountic
Example
Elle a un tic quand elle est stressée.
She has a tic when she is stressed.
More examples
Il a un tic de se ronger les ongles quand il est anxieux.
He has a nail-biting tic when he's anxious.
Core concept
A tiny involuntary twitch or repeated mannerism that appears again and again in the body, face, or speech.
Common phrases
avoir un tic
have a tic
un tic nerveux
nervous tic
tic de langage
speech tic
Similar words
manie: A strong fixation that leads to a repeated, hard-to-resist behavior.
habitude: An ordinary action repeated regularly as part of daily life.
automatisme: A repeated movement or reaction that occurs without conscious thought.
Definition in French
Mouvement ou geste bref, répétitif et généralement involontaire, qui apparaît de façon automatique chez une personne.
Word origin
Tic is an onomatopoeic French formation associated with a short, sudden movement, with French records dating from the 17th century.
Usage tips
- Tic is masculine, so the usual phrase is un tic; the similarly pronounced feminine noun tique means tick, the parasite.
Other meanings
- mannerismnoun