Definition

1. Noun:
   • A symptom of chronic lead poisoning: "painter's colic" refers specifically to a medical condition characterized by severe abdominal pain, historically common among painters and others exposed to lead-based paints.
   • Associated with obstinate constipation: This condition is typically accompanied by persistent and difficult-to-treat constipation.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor diagnosed the old house renovator with painter's colic due to long-term exposure to lead dust.
  • Before the dangers were fully understood, painter's colic was an occupational hazard for many tradespeople.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Medical Context: The term is often used in historical or specific medical discussions about occupational diseases resulting from lead toxicity.
  • The medical literature from the 19th century contains many descriptions of painter's colic.

Variants and Related Words

• Lead colic: A more general synonym for the same condition.
• Saturnine colic: Another historical medical term for colic caused by lead poisoning ("saturnine" refers to lead).

Synonyms

• Lead poisoning colic
• Plumbism (This is the general term for lead poisoning, of which colic is a symptom).

Notes on Meaning

• The term is a compound noun where "painter's" specifies the occupational group historically most associated with this form of poisoning. The core condition is "colic" (acute abdominal pain), which is caused by lead intoxication.

Noun

1. symptom of chronic lead poisoning and associated with obstinate constipation