ABSTRACT
Historically, the French used the term tic, or tique, for centuries to denote an ‘‘unpleasant gesture’’ (1). The term was first used to describe certain trick movements in horses in 1665 (2). Then it was used to refer to distasteful motor acts in humans, but in 1756, the term tic douloureux was coined (cited in Ref. 2) (trigeminal neuralgia in today’s lexicon), thereby setting up the different, confusing meanings for the word tic. It seems preferable to remain with the original usage, namely, that tic refers to certain unwanted motor acts. The term convulsive tic (tic convulsif), as used by Charcot in Goetz (3) and Gilles de la Tourette (4), connotes the ‘‘abruptness and momentariness’’ of the abnormal movement (5).
