nausea

noun nau·sea \ˈnȯ-zē-ə, -sē-ə; ˈnȯ-zhə, -shə\

: the feeling you have in your stomach when you think you are going to vomit

Full Definition of NAUSEA

: a stomach distress with distaste for food and an urge to vomit

: extreme disgust

— nau·se·ant \-zhē-ənt, -shē-, -zē-, -sē-\ noun or adjective

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See nausea defined for kids

Origin of NAUSEA

Latin, seasickness, nausea, from Greek nautia, nausia, from nautēs sailor — more at nautical

First Known Use: 1569

Related to NAUSEA

Synonyms: nauseousness, qualmishness, queasiness, queerness, sickness, squeamishness

Other Medicine Terms

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NAUSEA Defined for Kids

nausea

noun nau·sea \ˈnȯ-zē-ə, ˈnȯ-shə\

Definition of NAUSEA for Kids

: a disturbed and unpleasant condition of the stomach : the feeling of being about to vomit

: deep disgust : loathing

Word History of NAUSEA

The ancient Greeks were a seafaring people, so feeling motion sickness on board a ship was nothing new to them. In fact the Greek word for “seasickness,” nausia, was derived from the word naus, meaning “ship.” Since the main signs of seasickness are an upset stomach and the urge to vomit, nausia was applied to stomach discomfort of any origin. The word was borrowed into Latin as nausea, and from Latin into English.

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