itch

• IPA^(key): /ɪt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɪtʃ

From Middle English icche, ȝicche, from Old English ġiċċe (“an itch”), from Proto-Germanic *jukjǭ (“an itch”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots yeuk (“an itch, itchiness”), Dutch jeuk (“an itch”), German jucken.

itch (plural itches)

1. A sensation felt on an area of the skin that causes a person or animal to want to scratch.
2. A constant teasing desire or want.
   • 1895, George Meredith, The Amazing Marriage:

     ... it left, however, a bee at his ear and an itch to transfer the buzzer's attentions and tease his darling; for she had betrayed herself as right good game.

• yuck, yuik, yeuk (all in Scotland)

From Middle English icchen, ȝicchen, from Old English ġiċċan, ġyċċan (“to itch”), from Proto-Germanic *jukjaną (“to itch”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots yeuk (“to itch”), West Frisian jûkje (“to itch”), Dutch jeuken (“to itch”), Low German jocken (“to itch”), German jucken (“to itch”).

itch (third-person singular simple present itches, present participle itching, simple past and past participle itched)

1. (intransitive) To feel itchy; to feel a need to be scratched.
2. (intransitive) To have an urge; To feel strongly motivated; to want or desire
   • c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals):

     Capulet: ... Speak not, reply not, do not answer me; / My fingers itch. Wife, we scarce thought us blest / That God had lent us but this only child; / But now I see this one is one too much, / And that we have a curse in having her: / Out on her, hilding!

   He started learning to drive and he has been itching for opportunities to practice ever since.

3. (transitive) To cause to feel an itch.
4. (transitive, colloquial) To scratch or rub so as to relieve an itch.
   • 2002, M D Huddleston, Missing Paige:

     "What makes you suspect him?" Max asked as he itched his neck.

   • 2002 January 4, "Cyd" (username), Itching, in alt.support.mult-sclerosis, Usenet:

     I have to take both shoes and socks off! If I go bare foot I'm ok! I also get itching on my r/palm of my hand. I itch it so much that it's raw!

   • 2003 November 21, "Jim Patterson" (username), Behavior Therapy for Itchy Clothes?, in alt.support.ocd, Usenet:

     Basically I go through a half hour of trying to figure out of it is an fake OCD itch or a regular itch before I itch it (if I determine it's a "fake" itch, then I try not to itch it).

   • 2003, Ray Emerson, The Riddle of Cthulhu:

     Ulysses thumped his side and itched his back side, then slipped into his car.

   • 2004, Philip Smucker, Al Qaeda's Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Trail:

     But when we asked more about the famous man whose specter still commanded the heights, the guard just sneered at me, pointed his gun back toward the road with one hand, and itched his chin with the other.

• make one's teeth itch

• chit, tich