itch
pronunciation
How to pronounce itch in British English:
UK [ɪtʃ]
How to pronounce itch in American English:
US [ɪtʃ]
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- Noun:
- a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation
- a strong restless desire
- an irritating cutaneous sensation that produces a desire to scratch
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- Verb:
- scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
- have or perceive an itch
- have a strong desire or urge to do something
Word Origin
- itch (n.)
- Old English gicce, from giccan (v.) "to itch" (see itch (v.)). Sense of "restless desire" is first attested 1530s; itching in this sense is from mid-14c.
- itch (v.)
- Old English giccan "to itch," from West Germanic *jukkjan (cognates: Middle Dutch jöken "to itch," Old High German jucchen, German jucken). Related: Itched; itching.
Example
- 1. Scratching an ordinary itch usually does no harm .
- 2. Indeed , pain and itch have been difficult to separate .
- 3. The mortals down below , their screams for mercy would itch my ears .
- 4. Every cough was lung cancer ; every running nose was aids ; every itch was some exotic skin-eating virus that no doctor has ever heard of .
- 5. Hogweed is new york 's most striking , dangerous and invasive plant , and its sap " can make a case of poison ivy seem like a mild itch . "