I. noun
or hic·cough ˈhi]ˌkəp sometimes ˈhē] or ]_kəp or ]ˌkȯf or ]ˌkäf
( -s )
Etymology: hiccup of imitative origin; hiccough by folk etymology (influence of cough ) from hiccup
1. : a spasmodic inspiratory movement of the diaphragm involuntarily checked by a sudden closure of the glottis that produces a characteristic sound
2. or hiccups plural but sometimes singular in construction : an attack of hiccuping
severe hiccups is sometimes seen after operation — Lancet
intractable hiccup … may be successfully treated — Journal American Medical Association
II. verb
also hiccough “\
( hiccuped also hiccupped also hiccoughed ; hiccuped also hiccupped also hiccoughed ; hiccuping also hiccupping also hiccoughing ; hiccups also hiccoughs )
intransitive verb
1. : to have or suffer from hiccups : make a hiccup
2. : to make a sound suggestive of hiccups
the locomotive hiccuped and belched a gobbet of smoke into the air — S.H.Adams
transitive verb
: to speak with or as if with hiccups — usually used with out
was hiccuping out the lines — W.M.Thackeray
III. noun
also hiccough
1. : a slight irregularity, error, or malfunction
a few hiccups in the computer system
whatever hiccup in the genetic code … sets them off from their fellows — Karl Nyren
2.
a. : a usually short-lived interruption or disruption in a sequence, series, or process
during that hiccup in the nation's affairs, when it faced economic disaster — Stephen Fay
b. : a usually small and short-lived upturn or downturn
a hiccup in the stock market