sick

views updated Jun 27 2018

sick1 / sik/ • adj. 1. affected by physical or mental illness: nursing very sick children we were sick with bronchitis| [as pl. n.] (the sick) visiting the sick and the elderly. ∎  of or relating to those who are ill: the company organized a sick fund for its workers. ∎ fig. (of an organization, system, or society) suffering from serious problems, esp. of a financial nature: their economy remains sick. ∎ archaic pining or longing for someone or something: he was sick for a sight of her.2. feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit: he was starting to feel sick Mark felt sick with fear. ∎  (of an emotion) so intense as to cause one to feel unwell or nauseous: he had a sick fear of returning. ∎ inf. disappointed, mortified, or miserable: he looked pretty sick at that, but he eventually agreed.3. (sick of) intensely annoyed with or bored by (someone or something) as a result of having had too much of them: I'm absolutely sick of your moods.4. inf. (esp. of humor) having something unpleasant such as death, illness, or misfortune as its subject and dealing with it in an offensive way: this was someone's idea of a sick joke. ∎  (of a person) having abnormal or unnatural tendencies; perverted: he is a deeply sick man from whom society needs to be protected.• n. Brit., inf. vomit.• v. [tr.] (sick something up) inf. bring something up by vomiting.PHRASES: be sick1. be ill.2. vomit.fall (or take) sick become ill.get sick1. become ill.2. vomit.make someone sick cause someone to vomit or feel nauseous or unwell: sherry makes me sick and so do cigars. ∎  cause someone to feel intense annoyance or disgust: you're so damned self-righteous you make me sick!—— oneself sick do something to such an extent that one feels nauseous or unwell (often used for emphasis): she was worrying herself sick about Mike.sick and tired of inf. annoyed about or bored with (something) and unwilling to put up with it any longer: I am sick and tired of all the criticism. (as) sick as a dog inf. extremely ill.the sick man of —— a country that is politically or economically unsound, esp. in comparison with its neighbors in the region specified: the country had been the sick man of Europe for too long.sick to death of inf. another way of saying sick and tired of above.sick to one's stomach nauseous. ∎  disgusted.DERIVATIVES: sick·ish adj.sick2 • v. variant of sic2 .

sick

views updated May 29 2018

sick Sick Man of Europe a nickname for Ottoman Turkey deriving from a reported conversation between Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Sir George Seymour at St Petersburg on 21 February 1853.

See also the Devil was sick at devil, hope deferred makes the heart sick.

sick

views updated May 18 2018

sick ill, ailing OE.; out of condition XIV; weary of XVI; inclined to vomit, vomiting XVII. OE. sēoc = OS. siok (Du. ziek), OHG. sioh (G. siech), ON. sjúkr, Goth. siuks :- Gmc. *seukaz, of unkn. orig.
Hence sicken (-EN5) XII. sickly adj. (-LY1) XIV; whence sick vb. XVII.