heaves
heaves Lexical Profile
heaves Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Spasmodic bouts of retching, gagging, or vomiting (usually preceded by 'the', especially in the phrase 'the dry heaves').
"After hours on the choppy sea, several passengers below deck were overcome with the dry heaves."
A chronic, non-infectious respiratory disease of horses, similar to human asthma and pulmonary emphysema, characterized by labored breathing, wheezing, coughing, and the forced abdominal expulsion of air.
"The veterinarian recommended soaking the hay in water to reduce dust for the older mare suffering from heaves."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the equine respiratory disease, 'heaves' is a plural-form noun that typically takes a singular verb (e.g., 'heaves is a chronic condition'), whereas in the informal sense of vomiting or retching, it is almost always preceded by 'the' (e.g., 'the dry heaves').
• Rhymes for heaves
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the plural of the noun 'heave' (from Old English 'hebban', meaning to lift or raise), in reference to the visible, labored lifting of an afflicted horse's flanks and ribs during respiration.