# hiccup



## Outsider

What do you call this embarassing physical mishap in your language? Is it an onomatopoeia, as the English word seems to be?

In Spanish, it's hipo, vaguely similar to English.

In Portuguese, it's soluço, which does not seem to be an onomatopoeia.

Many words for it in Arabic, but I can't read them.

Thanks in advance.


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## ukuca

In Turkish they are called "yansıma sesler".


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## dn88

*Polish:*

_czkawka_


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## pingvin10

*Hungarian:*

csuklás


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## Lopes

In Dutch it's 'de hik'


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## DrWatson

Finnish:
*
hikka*

The corresponding verb is *nikotella*


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## Thomas1

*French*:
(le) hoquet

*German*:
der Schluckauf

*Russian*:
икота


Tom


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## Flaminius

*Japanese:*
shakkuri
しゃっくり
apparently of onomatopoeic etymology


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## alex.raf

*Persian*:
Seksekeh
سکسکه


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## deine

Lithuanian:

žagsėjimas


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## Lello4ever

Italian: singhiozzo.


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## Trisia

*Romanian*: sughiţ


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## yujuju

*Basque:* zotina


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## panjabigator

Hindi, Panjabi: Hijki


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## Alijsh

Persian: *sekseke*


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## Chazzwozzer

_Hiccup _is _hıçkırık _in *Turkish*, which is also an onomatopoeia.


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## Henryk

In German we call it "Schluckauf" (literally: "to swallow up").


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## cherine

Trisia said:


> *Romanian*: sughiţ


Hello Trisia,
This is very interesting! In Egypt, we say zoghotta. Would you know the origin of the Romanian word?


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## Trisia

Hi, Cherine 

I hadn't the slightest idea, until I checked the Romanian dictionary.  It says it comes from Latin _subgluttiare._

*subgluttiare*
sub- = under, up from under; to the aid;
glutti.are = swallow, gulp down;

Cool Latin-English Dictionary


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## cherine

Thanks Trisia 

Well, I was hoping for something that would explain the resemblance, but well... 
Thanks for the info


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## vlado1

*Slovak:* štikútka, čkanie


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## Trisia

cherine said:


> Thanks Trisia
> 
> Well, I was hoping for something that would explain the resemblance, but well...
> Thanks for the info



No problem.

I am actually more inclined to think it's an onomatopoeia, you know


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## OldAvatar

cherine said:


> Thanks Trisia
> 
> Well, I was hoping for something that would explain the resemblance, but well...
> Thanks for the info



The Romanian dictionary says indeed that *sughiţ* comes from Latin _subgluttiare_. This explanation may look, indeed, a bit tricky, but you can make a better clue if you have a look at the Italian word, which is very similar in pronunciation: _singhiozzo _(something like: Ro: soogheets; It: seengheotso).

@Trisia: In my oppinion, it may be a resemblance of an expression (archaic form, but following the Latin logic of _subgluttiare_): *sub gâţi *(under the throat). But of course, it is just a personal oppinion. However, it is a weird word indeed, considering its doubtful traces...


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## Nizo

In Esperanto, "a hiccup" (also spelled "hiccough" in English) is _singulto_.  The verb is _singulti _or_ hiki_.  The sound is _hik!  _The word _singulti_ comes from the Latin _singultare_.


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## Outsider

OldAvatar said:


> The Romanian dictionary says indeed [...] from Latin _subgluttiare_. This explanation may look, indeed, a bit tricky, but you can make a better clue if you have a look at the Italian word, which is very similar in pronunciation: _singhiozzo _


I went to check, and that's also the origin of Portuguese _soluço_, via the verb _soluçar_.


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## kusurija

In Czech:
1. hiccup (as convulsions of diaphragma)
noun: škytavka
verb: škytat; noun made of verb: škytání
onomatopoe: škyt

2. hiccup (as inproper pronunciation doubling or multiplying whole or part of syllables)
noun: koktání
verb: koktat

In Lithuanian:
1. n. žagsėjimas
v. žagsėti
2. 
n. mikčiojimas
v. mikčioti

Thanks Trisia!


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## apmoy70

Greek:

*«Λόξυγγας»* [ˈlɔ.k͜si.ŋgas] (masc.), possibly from the ancient 3rd declension masc. *«λύγξ» lúnk͜s* (nom. sing.), *«λυγγός» lŭngós* (gen. sing.) --> _hiccup_ (PIE *sluk-/*slug- _to swallow_ cf W. llyncu, _to swallow_, Pol. łkać. _to sob_). 
«Λύγξ > *λύγξυγγας > λόξυγγας»


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## Dymn

_Singlot _in *Catalan*, related then to Portuguese _soluço _and Italian _singhiozzo_.


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## Penyafort

Dymn said:


> _Singlot _in *Catalan*, related then to Portuguese _soluço _and Italian _singhiozzo_.



And to Spanish *singulto* (which is technical and never used but exists).


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## TheCrociato91

Penyafort said:


> And to Spanish *singulto* (which is technical and never used but exists).



Same in Italian. Except that I wouldn't say it's never used but it's extremely rare and possibly regional (my grandma speaks more dialect than actual Italian but she basically only says _singulto_ instead of _singhiozzo_; or, when speaking dialect, _sanglót_, which looks very French-like  ).


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## Sardokan1.0

In *Sardinian*, where I live is :

*Taccullitta*

in other areas :

*Tuccullitta / ticcullitta / tziccullitta /singullitta*

P.S.
In Sardinian is feminine


I wonder if it could be onomatopoeic. Let's take for example "Taccullitta", in Sardinian language it's also the diminutive of "Taccula", a bird of the corvidae family. Coincidence, the call of this bird sounds like the human hiccup.


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## Penyafort

TheCrociato91 said:


> Same in Italian. Except that I wouldn't say it's never used but it's extremely rare and possibly regional (my grandma speaks more dialect than actual Italian but she basically only says _singulto_ instead of _singhiozzo_; or, *when speaking dialect, sanglót, *which looks very French-like  ).



Interesting. Because in Catalan, _singlot _is hiccup but *sanglot *is a sob. At least in the standard, because to me they're both the same thing and I've always considered it a variation.


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