Vertigo

Etymology

From Latin “vertigo” (a whirling or spinning), from “vertere” (to turn) — the same root beneath “reverse,” “convert,” and “vertex.” The word names the sensation with plain accuracy: a turning that is felt but not real. Its popular association with fear of heights comes largely from the Hitchcock film, not from medicine.

noun · /VUR-tih-goh/
The false sensation that you or your surroundings are spinning, usually caused by a problem in the inner ear or brain.
What it names
A specific illusion of motion — not a fear of heights, as film has taught many to think, but the disorienting feeling that the world is turning when it is still.
Example
The vertigo hit so suddenly that he had to grip the counter, certain the kitchen floor was tilting beneath him.
Related idea
Vertigo is the specific illusion of spinning; dizziness is the vaguer feeling of faintness or unsteadiness. Doctors press on the difference because true spinning vertigo points to the inner ear or brain, while lightheadedness more often points to blood pressure or dehydration.