gripes

9.7

Strong stomach pain in babies that feels like cramps

noun
/ɡraɪps/

Archaic

: cólicos

After a feeding, the baby displayed signs of gripes, which included crying and clenching of the fists.

Examples

The baby was crying constantly due to gripes after feeding.
Many old remedies were used to soothe infants suffering from gripes.
Doctors would often diagnose gripes when a child had persistent stomach pain.
The baby has severe gripes after feeding.
My friend's infant suffers from gripes frequently.
Many parents find that holding their baby can help relieve gripes caused by abdominal discomfort.
The doctor explained that gripes are common in infants and can often be managed with gentle tummy massages.

Synonyms

colic

vsgripes

Specialized

14 6.0

A strong pain in the belly that comes and goes, often in babies

is cramp-like pain focusing on spasms not fluctuation

griping

vsgripes

Archaic

3 9.9

A sudden, strong pain in the belly, often in babies

is cramp-like pain that does not imply suddenness or archaism

intestinal colic

vsgripes

Specialized

7.0

A strong belly pain in babies caused by the intestines squeezing

is cramp-like pain without naming a specific bowel cause

How Painful

colic

Specialized

14 6.0

gripes

Archaic

9.7

ache

92 1.3

discomfort

119 3.2

Surface Forms

gripes singular

gripes plural

Morphology

gripes = gripe (opaque) = gripe + s

Although morphologically just the plural of 'gripe', most learners know 'gripe' as 'complain' rather than the medical sense 'severe abdominal pain', so the meaning is not clearly inferable from the base.

Etymology

The word gripes comes from an old word grip that means 'to hold tight'. So gripes are pains that 'grip' the stomach, which is why the word means strong, cramp-like belly pain, often in babies.