wind colic
LowMedical/Veterinary, Archaic, Parental/Colloquial (when referring to infants)
Definition
Meaning
A condition, especially in infants, characterized by severe abdominal pain and crying, believed to be caused by gas or air trapped in the intestines.
A term used historically and in some traditional medical contexts to describe spasmodic abdominal pain associated with flatulence or indigestion. In modern veterinary medicine, it can refer to similar conditions in animals, particularly horses.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is now considered somewhat dated in human medicine, often replaced by terms like 'infant colic' or 'gas pain'. It retains more specific technical use in veterinary contexts. The 'wind' refers to intestinal gas, not atmospheric air.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is understood but rarely used in contemporary professional medical dialogue in both regions. In everyday British English, 'colic' or 'wind' (e.g., 'the baby has wind') is more common. In American English, 'gas pains' or 'infant colic' are more frequent.
Connotations
In both varieties, it carries a slightly old-fashioned or folk-medical connotation when applied to humans.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in formal contexts. Slightly higher historical frequency in British texts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The [infant/foal] has wind colic.Wind colic causes [pain/crying].To treat/suffer from wind colic.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms specific to this term]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not applicable.
Academic
Used in historical medical texts or comparative studies of traditional medicine.
Everyday
Rare. Might be used by older generations or in specific communities to describe a crying baby with suspected gas pain.
Technical
Used in veterinary medicine (e.g., equine medicine) to describe a specific type of colic caused by gas distension.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The infant was wind-colicking all night. (archaic/rare verbal use)
American English
- The baby is colicking from the wind. (phrasal descriptive use)
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial form]
American English
- [No standard adverbial form]
adjective
British English
- She used a traditional wind-colic remedy. (compound adjective)
American English
- It was a classic wind colic episode. (attributive noun phrase)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The baby cried because he had wind colic.
- Wind colic can hurt a baby's tummy.
- Many new parents worry when their infant shows signs of wind colic.
- Gripping water is sometimes recommended for babies with mild wind colic.
- Although the term 'wind colic' is considered outdated by paediatricians, it persists in popular parental vocabulary.
- The historical treatment for wind colic often involved herbal carminatives.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a baby crying as the WIND howls, and the pain is in the belly (COLIC) – the 'wind' is inside, causing the storm.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE BODY IS A CONTAINER / PAIN IS A FORCE. Intestinal gas is a disruptive, moving force (wind) inside the container of the body, causing spasmodic pain (colic).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'ветер колика'. The concept is 'кишечные колики, вызванные газами' or 'газы у младенца'. 'Wind' here does not mean ветер (weather) but газ в кишечнике.
- Do not confuse with 'colic' as a general term for спазмы; it is specifically abdominal.
Common Mistakes
- Pronouncing 'wind' as in 'wind up a clock' (/waɪnd/). It must be /wɪnd/ as in moving air.
- Using it as a current medical diagnosis instead of a descriptive lay term.
- Spelling as 'wind colick' (archaic).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'wind colic' most likely to be used in a modern, technical sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In modern usage, 'infant colic' is the broader, more accepted term. 'Wind colic' specifically implies the cause is intestinal gas, which is one hypothesized reason for colic, but not the only one.
While adults can experience severe gas pains, the specific term 'wind colic' is almost exclusively applied to infants or animals in contemporary English. Adults would describe it as 'gas cramps' or 'severe flatulence'.
It must be pronounced /wɪnd/ (like moving air), not /waɪnd/ (like to coil). The wrong pronunciation changes the meaning entirely and would not be understood in this medical context.
No. Paediatricians typically use the term 'infant colic' as a description of unexplained, frequent crying in a healthy baby, without specifying 'wind' as the definitive cause, as the etiology is often unknown.