c.1300, from Anglo-French weyver to abandon, waive, Old French weyver, guever to abandon, give back, probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse veifa to swing about, from Proto-Germanic *waibijanan (see waif). In Middle English legal language, used of rights, goods, or women. Related: Waived; waiving.
1. : affected with a disease or illness: ill. â sometimes used figuratively. â see also airsick, carsick, seasick. He is at home sick in bed. She is sick with the flu. I'm too sick to go to work. a sick dog. The medicine just made me sicker. The sickest patients are in intensive care.
Sick leave. Sick leave (or paid sick days or sick pay) is time off from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health and safety needs without losing pay. Paid sick leave is a statutory requirement in many nations. Most European, many Latin American, a few African and a few Asian countries have legal requirements for paid sick leave.