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Hickey

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Hickey
Other namesKiss mark, love bite, bug bite, love mark
Hickeys on the neck
Pronunciation
  • Hick-ee
SpecialtyDermatology
Duration3-14 days
Causessuction on skin

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.

Etymology

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The 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

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  1. ^ "hickie - Origin and meaning of hickie by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
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