hiccup
UK[ˈhɪkʌp]US[ˈhɪkəp]
n
a sudden, involuntary spasm of the diaphragm and throat, causing a sharp intake of breath that is stopped by the sudden closing of the vocal cords, producing a characteristic sound.
n
a minor, temporary problem or interruption.
v
to make the sound of a hiccup or experience a series of hiccups.
Etymology
the word 'hiccup' is a classic example of onomatopoeia, where the form of the word is an imitation of the sound it describes. it first appeared in english in the late 16th century, spelled as 'hickop' or 'hiccough', the latter reflecting a folk etymology that mistakenly associated the final sound with 'cough'. its earlier forms can be traced to the middle english 'hikken', meaning to gasp or sob, which itself is imitative. the word's journey is not one of morphemic combination but of phonetic mimicry, evolving in spelling to more closely represent the abrupt, jerky sound of the physical reflex, and later extending metaphorically to describe any small, repeated interruption.
Analysis
this is an onomatopoeic word, imitating the sound of the involuntary spasm. its origin is not from a combination of classical morphemes but from a direct imitation of a bodily sound.
Examples
she got a bad case of the hiccups during the quiet lecture.
there was a slight hiccup in the production schedule, but we caught up quickly.
the baby started to hiccup after drinking his milk too fast.