megrim

/ˈmiːɡɹɪm/

//ˈmiːɡɹɪm// noun

"megrim" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“megrim” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A headache; a migraine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-megrim · megrim · English

megrim · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for megrim
PropertyValue
Headwordmegrim
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmiːɡɹɪm/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “megrim” in English

megrimfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

megrim is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmiːɡɹɪm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for megrim in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French migraigne, semi-learned borrowing from Late Latin hēmicrānia (“pain in one half of the head”), from Ancient Greek ἡμικρᾱνίᾰ (hēmikrāníă), from ἡμι- (hēmi-, “hemi-, half”) + κρανίον (kraníon, “skull”) (whence also English cranium)… The correct English form is megrim, spelled M-E-G-R-I-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A headache; a migraine.
  2. 2
    A fancy, a whim, a caprice.
  3. 3
    See megrims (“depression; any of various diseases of animals”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how megrim appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. For quotations using this term, see Citations:megrim.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French migraigne, semi-learned borrowing from Late Latin hēmicrānia (“pain in one half of the head”), from Ancient Greek ἡμικρᾱνίᾰ (hēmikrāníă), from ἡμι- (hēmi-, “hemi-, half”) + κρανίον (kraníon, “skull”) (whence also English cranium). Doublet of migraine and hemicrania.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "megrim"?
"megrim" is spelled M-E-G-R-I-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmiːɡɹɪm/.
What does "megrim" mean?
As a noun, "megrim" means: A headache; a migraine.
How do you pronounce "megrim"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "megrim" is /ˈmiːɡɹɪm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "megrim"?
Borrowed from Middle French migraigne, semi-learned borrowing from Late Latin hēmicrānia (“pain in one half of the head”), from Ancient Greek ἡμικρᾱνίᾰ (hēmikrāníă), from ἡμι- (hēmi-, “hemi-, half”) + κρανίον (kraníon, “skull”) (whence also Englis... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list