Severe abdominal pain, especially in infants, characterized by intense crying and apparent discomfort.
From Greek kolikos meaning 'pertaining to the colon,' from kolon meaning 'large intestine.' The term entered Latin as colicus and reached English through Old French in the 15th century.
Infant colic remains one of medicine's mysteries - affecting up to 20% of babies, it typically appears around 2-3 weeks and mysteriously disappears by 3-4 months, leaving exhausted parents wondering what they did wrong (usually nothing). The 'rule of threes' defines it: crying for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week, for more than three weeks.
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