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Twitch

 - 7 dictionary results

twitch

  [twich] ,
Use Twitch in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to tug or pull at with a quick, short movement; pluck: She twitched him by the sleeve.
2. to jerk rapidly: The rider twitched the reins a couple of times.
3. to move (a part of the body) with a sudden, jerking motion.
4. to pinch or pull at sharply and painfully; give a smarting pinch to; nip.
–verb (used without object)
5. to move spasmodically or convulsively; jerk; jump.
6. to give a sharp, sudden pull; tug; pluck (usually fol. by at): He constantly twitched at his collar.
7. to ache or hurt with a sharp, shooting pain; twinge: That back tooth twitches a bit.
–noun
8. a quick, jerky movement of the body or of some part of it.
9. involuntary, spasmodic movement of a muscle; tic: He gets a twitch in his left eye when he's nervous.
10. a short, sudden pull or tug; jerk.
11. a bodily or mental twinge, as of pain, conscience, etc.; pang.
12. a loop or noose placed over the muzzle of a horse and tightened by twisting a stick or handle to which it is attached, used as a restraining device during a painful operation.
Origin:
1125–75; ME twicchen (v.); akin to OE twiccian to pluck; c. G zwicken to pinch

Related forms:
twitcher, noun
twitch⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Twitch
twitch   (twĭch)   
v.   twitched, twitch·ing, twitch·es

v.   tr.
To draw, pull, or move suddenly and sharply; jerk: I twitched my fishing line.
v.   intr.

  1. To move jerkily or spasmodically. See Synonyms at jerk1.

  2. To ache sharply from time to time; twinge.

n.  

  1. A sudden involuntary or spasmodic muscular movement: a twitch of the eye.

  2. A sudden pulling; a tug: The fish gave my line a twitch.

  3. A looped cord used to restrain a horse by tightening it around the animal's upper lip.


[Middle English twicchen; possibly akin to Low German twikken.]
twitch'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

twitch  (v.)
c.1175, to-twic-chen "pull apart with a quick jerk," related to O.E. twiccian "to pluck," from P.Gmc. *twikjonan (cf. Low Ger. twicken, Du. twikken, O.H.G. gizwickan, Ger. zwicken "to pinch, tweak"). The noun is attested from 1523.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1twitch
Pronunciation: 'twich
Function: intransitive verb
: to undergo a short spastic muscular contraction twitched>

Main Entry: 2twitch
Function: noun
: a short spastic contraction of muscle fibers; also : a slight jerk of a body part caused by such acontraction

Main Entry: 3twitch
Function: noun
: QUACK GRASS
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

twitch (twĭch)
v. twitched, twitch·ing, twitch·es

  1. To draw, pull, or move suddenly and sharply; jerk.

  2. To move jerkily or spasmodically.

  3. To ache sharply from time to time; twinge.

n.
A sudden involuntary or spasmodic muscular movement.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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