What is "painter's colic"

Painter \Paint"er\, n. [See 1st Paint.] One whose occupation is to paint; esp.:

1. One who covers buildings, ships, ironwork, and the like, with paint.

2. An artist who represents objects or scenes in color on a flat surface, as canvas, plaster, or the like. Painter's colic. (Med.) See Lead colic, under Colic. Painter stainer.

   1. A painter of coats of arms.
      --Crabb.

   2. A member of a livery company or guild in London, bearing this name.

Colic \Col"ic\, n. [F. colique, fr. L. colicus sick with the colic, Gr. ?, fr. ?, ?, the colon. The disease is so named from its being seated in or near the colon. See Colon.] (Med.) A severe paroxysmal pain in the abdomen, due to spasm, obstruction, or distention of some one of the hollow viscera.

Hepatic colic, the severe pain produced by the passage of a gallstone from the liver or gall bladder through the bile duct.

Intestinal colic, or Ordinary colic, pain due to distention of the intestines by gas.

Lead colic, Painter's colic, a violent form of intestinal colic, associated with obstinate constipation, produced by chronic lead poisoning.

Renal colic, the severe pain produced by the passage of a calculus from the kidney through the ureter.

Wind colic. See Intestinal colic, above.

n. plumbism

n. symptom of chronic lead poisoning and associated with obstinate constipation [syn: lead colic]