The story
Probably from colic (“severe pains that grip the abdomen”) + wobble (“unsteady motion”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from colly (“coal dust”) (in the sense of someone becoming ill from breathing in such dust), or that it is a corruption of cholera.
First known use, by meaning
- from 1823 A stomach ache or an upset stomach.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.