A hickey, hickie or sometimes referred to as a love bite in British English, is a bruise or bruise-like mark caused by biting or sucking the skin of a person, usually on their neck, arm, or earlobe.[citation needed] While biting may be part of giving a hickey, sucking is sufficient to burst small superficial blood vessels under the skin to produce bruising. A hickey is sometimes used to mark someone as being the target of a partner's romantic affection or as belonging to them.
| Hickey | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Kiss mark, love bite, bug bite, love mark |
 | |
| Hickeys on the neck | |
| Pronunciation |
|
| Specialty | Dermatology |
| Duration | 3-14 days |
| Causes | suction on skin |
Etymology
editThe origin of the word is from its earlier meaning of "pimple, skin lesion" (c. 1915); perhaps a sense extension and spelling variation from the earlier word meaning "small gadget, device; any unspecified object" which has an unknown origin (1909).[1]
References
edit- ^ "hickie - Origin and meaning of hickie by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
External links
edit
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