itch

/ɪtʃ/

/ɪtʃ/

Other forms: itching; itched; itches

An itch is an unpleasant tingly sensation that makes you want to scratch. If you're allergic to poison ivy and you go hiking through a field of it, you'll have a terrible itch all over your legs.

Sometimes people confuse itch and scratch. An itch is the sensation that causes you to scratch, and when itch is a verb, it either means "to feel or sense an itch," or "to have a strong, restless urge," as when you itch to try out your uncle's motorcycle. Somehow, the word itch arose from its Old English root gicce, or gycce, "an itch."

Definitions of itch

1. noun

   an irritating cutaneous sensation that produces a desire to scratch
   synonyms: itchiness, itching

   types:

   pruritus

   an intense itching sensation that can have various causes (as by allergies or infection or lymphoma or jaundice etc.)

   pruritus ani

   chronic itching of the skin around the anus

   pruritus vulvae

   persistent itching of the external female genitalia

   type of:

   cutaneous sensation, haptic sensation, skin sensation

   a sensation localized on the skin
2. noun

   a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation
   “he has a bad case of the itch”

   synonyms: scabies

   type of:

   infection

   the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms
3. noun

   a strong restless desire
   synonyms: urge

   type of:

   desire

   the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
4. verb

   scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
   synonyms: rub, scratch

   type of:

   irritate

   excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame
5. verb

   have or perceive an itch
   “I'm itching--the air is so dry!”

   types:

   tickle, titillate, vellicate

   touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements

   prickle, tingle

   cause a stinging or tingling sensation

   type of:

   ache, hurt, smart

   be the source of pain
6. verb

   cause to perceive an itch
   “his skin itched”
7. verb

   have a strong desire or urge to do something
   “She is itching to start the project”

   synonyms: spoil

   type of:

   desire, want

   feel or have a desire for; want strongly