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tick·le

(tĭkəl)

v. tick·led, tick·ling, tick·les

v.tr.

1. To touch (the body) lightly so as to cause laughter or twitching movements.

a. To tease or excite pleasurably; titillate: suspense that tickles the reader's curiosity.

b. To fill with mirth or pleasure; delight.

v.intr.

To feel or cause a tingling sensation.

1. The act of tickling.

2. A tickling sensation.

Idiom:

tickled pink Informal

Very pleased; delighted: I was tickled pink by the compliment.

[Middle English tikelen, perhaps frequentative of ticken, to touch lightly.]

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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