itch

[ich] /ɪtʃ/
verb (used without object)
1.
to have or feel a peculiar tingling or uneasy irritation of the skin that causes a desire to scratch the part affected:
My nose itches.
2.
to cause such a feeling:
This shirt itches.
3.
Informal. to scratch a part that itches.
4.
to have a desire to do or get something:
to itch after fame.
verb (used with object)
5.
to cause to have an itch:
His wool shirt always itches him.
6.
Informal. to scratch (a part that itches):
to itch a mosquito bite.
7.
to annoy; vex; irritate:
Her remarks itched me.
noun
8.
the sensation of itching.
9.
an uneasy or restless desire or longing:
an itch for excitement.
10.
a contagious disease caused by the itch mite, which burrows into the skin (usually preceded by the).
Compare mange, scabies.
Origin
before 900; (v.) Middle English (y)icchen, Old English gicc(e)an; akin to German jucken, Dutch jeuken; (noun) Middle English (y)icche, Old English gicce, derivative of the v.
Related forms
anti-itch, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for itch

itch

/ɪtʃ/
noun
1.
an irritation or tickling sensation of the skin causing a desire to scratch
2.
a restless desire
3.
any skin disorder, such as scabies, characterized by intense itching
verb
4.
(intransitive) to feel or produce an irritating or tickling sensation
5.
(intransitive) to have a restless desire (to do something)
6.
(not standard) to scratch (the skin)
7.
itching palm, a grasping nature; avarice
8.
have itchy feet, to be restless; have a desire to travel
Derived Forms
itchy, adjective
itchiness, noun
Word Origin
Old English gīccean to itch, of Germanic origin
Word Origin and History for 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.

v.

Old English giccan "to itch," from West Germanic *jukkjan (cf. Middle Dutch jöken "to itch," Old High German jucchen, German jucken). Related: Itched; itching.

itch in Medicine

itch (ĭch)
n.

  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.

v. itched, itch·ing, itch·es
To feel, have, or produce an itch.
Slang definitions & phrases for itch

itch

Related Terms

scratch