Pronunciation: tu ̇ - ' rets-
Function: noun
Etymology: Georges Gille de la Tourette † 1904 French physician
Date: 1970
: a familial neurological disorder of variable expression that is characterized by recurrent involuntary tics involving body movements (as eye blinks or grimaces) and vocalizations (as grunts or utterance of inappropriate words), often has one or more associated conditions (as obsessive-compulsive disorder), is more common in males than females, and usually has an onset in childhood and often stabilizes or ameliorates in adulthood ― called also Tou · rette syndrome \ - ' ret- \