Sicking

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Causing a strong reaction of disgust or nausea; inciting an animal to attack or pursue; overwhelming with intense emotion or feeling
2. Producing feelings of illness or revulsion; urging a dog or similar creature to chase or seize; filling someone with a powerful, often unpleasant, sensation
3. Inducing mental or physical queasiness or horror; provoking a canine to run after or assault; eliciting a deep emotional disturbance or discomfort

Etymology: The form "sicking" appears to be a present participle or gerund of the verb "sick," which in its verbal use means to set an animal or person on someone or something, typically to attack or chase. This sense of "sick" as a verb dates back to the late Middle English period, around the 14th or 15th century, emerging from the Old English adjective "sēoc," meaning "ill" or "unwell," but evolving into a command to incite attack or pursuit, as in "sick the dogs on him." The verb form likely developed from the imperative use "sick!" which hunters or handlers would shout to prompt dogs to attack or chase game. Over time, this command became generalized as a verb meaning to cause someone or something to pursue aggressively. The present participle "sicking" would then describe the act of setting someone or something upon a target or being in the process of doing so. As an adjective, "sicking" is less common but could be used descriptively to indicate something causing sickness or distress, drawing directly from the root adjective "sick." This usage would be parallel to forms like "amazing" or "disturbing," where the participle functions adjectivally to describe a quality or effect. Overall, the term is closely connected to the older, more established root "sick," with its dual senses of illness and incitement to attack, and "sicking" carries these meanings into its verbal and adjectival forms depending on context.

Synonyms: making ill, nauseating, disgusting

Antonyms: healing, curing, soothing