Meanings
- uncountablemedicineThe unpleasant after-effects of the consumption of alcohol; a hangover.First known use 2000
3 more examples
There is no consensus definition of veisalgia ("alcohol hangover," from the Norwegian kveis, or "uneasiness following debauchery," and the Greek algia, or "pain"). Most descriptive and experimental studies have identified a set of common symptoms: headache, diarrhea, anorexia, tremulousness, fatigue, and nausea[…]. Perhaps the most alarming feature of veisalgia is its high prevalence. In a study of college students, 25% of students reported experiencing a hangover in the previous week and 29% reported losing school time for hangover recovery.
2000 June 6, Jeffrey G. Wiese, Michael G. Shlipak, Warren S. Browner, “The Alcohol Hangover”, in Annals of Internal Medicine, volume 132, number 11, →DOI, pages 897–902Ms. J may be caught in the vicious cycle of headache related to a hangover, drinking more to relieve the headache and tremor (perceived as anxiety), daytime sleeping, and using the alcohol to try and induce sleep at night. The tremulousness, which the patient experiences as anxiety, is also part of the veisalgia syndrome.
2005, Judith C. Ahronheim, Zheng-Bo Huang, Vincent Yen, Christina M. Davitt, David Barile, “Case 27: Headache”, in Case Studies in Geriatrics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 182Patients with alcohol hangover or veisalgia (from the Norwegian kveis or "uneasiness following debauchery" and the Greek algia or "pain") suffer from fatigue, insomnia, diarrhea, headaches, dry mouth, malaise, and nausea in addition to autonomic hyperactivity (tremor, sweating, tachycardia, and hypertension)[…].
2011, Nischita K. Reddy, Ashwani Singal, Don W. Powell, “Alcohol-related Diarrhea”, in Stefano Guandalini, Haleh Vaziri, editors, Diarrhea: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances (Clinical Gastroenterology), New York, N.Y.; Dordrecht: Humana Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 385Synonyms: hangover
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe unpleasant after-effects of the consumption of alcohol; a hangover.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἄλγος“pain”
- New Latin-algia
- Norwegiankveis“uneasiness after debauchery”
- Englishveisalgia
From Norwegian kveis (“uneasiness after debauchery”) + -algia (pain, suffering) (from New Latin -algia, from Ancient Greek ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”)), coined as a medical term by Jeffrey G. Wiese, Michael G. Shlipak, and Warren S. Browner in a 2000 article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (see the quotation).
More words from Norwegian, New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
veisalgia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/veisalgia
“veisalgia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/veisalgia. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “veisalgia,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/veisalgia.
Source: veisalgia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.