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itch

(ĭch)

1. An irritating skin sensation causing a desire to scratch.

2. Any of various skin disorders, such as scabies, marked by intense irritation and itching.

3. A restless desire or craving for something: an itch to travel.

v. itched, itch·ing, itch·es

v. intr.

a. To feel, have, or produce an itch.

b. To have a desire to scratch.

2. To have a persistent, restless craving.

v. tr.

1. To cause to itch.

2. To scratch (an itch).

[Middle English yicche, from Old English gicce, from giccan, to itch; akin to Dutch jeuken, German jucken, and Old Saxon jukkian.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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