formication
nounEtymology Circa 1700, from Latin formīca (“ant”) + -tion.
1
Medicine, Sciences An abnormal skin sensation similar to that of insects crawling over or within the skin; a tactile hallucination involving such a sensation. A common side-effect of substance abuse, it can also be experienced with high fever, menopause, skin cancer, diabetic neuropathy, or herpes zoster.
- Soon the formications and muscular debility returned, not alone, but accompanied with painful cramps and startlings in the feet and calves of the legs.1853, The Scottish Review:
- Related terms
- formic, formic acid, formicate