itching

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Origin:
before 1000; Middle English (y)ichinge, (y)itchinge (noun, adj.); replacing Old English giccende (adj.). See itch, -ing², -ing¹

Related forms

itch·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb (used without object)

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.

to cause such a feeling: This shirt itches.

Informal. to scratch a part that itches.

to have a desire to do or get something: to itch after fame.

verb (used with object)

to cause to have an itch: His wool shirt always itches him.

Informal. to scratch (a part that itches): to itch a mosquito bite.

to annoy; vex; irritate: Her remarks itched me.

noun

the sensation of itching.

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

an·ti-itch, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To itching

Collins

World English Dictionary

itch (ɪtʃ)

—n
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

—vb
4.	(intr) to feel or produce an irritating or tickling sensation
5.	(intr) 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

[Old English gīccean to itch, of Germanic origin]

'itchy

—*adj*

'itchiness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

itch

O.E. gicce, from giccan (v.) "to itch," from W.Gmc. *jukkjan (cf. M.Du. jöken, O.H.G. jucchen, Ger. jucken). Sense of "restless desire" is first attested 1530s; itching in this sense is from mid-14c.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

itch (ĭch)
n.

An irritating skin sensation causing a desire to scratch.
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.

Example sentences

Even the younger generation, with little memory of the anti-colonial struggle,

does not seem to be itching for change.

At first they showed the typical allergic reactions: lots of itching, coughing

and reddening of the skin.

Homes were affordable again, and families who had spent two years shedding debt

were itching to buy something big.

Stress does not cause the condition, but anxiety, anger and frustration can

make itching worse.

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Matching Quote

"If we have largely forgotten the physical discomforts of the itching, oppressive garments of the past ... then we have mercifully forgotten, too, the smells of the past, the domestic odours—ill-washed flesh; infrequently changed underwear; chamber-pots; slop-pails; inadequately plumbed privies; rotting food; unattended teeth; and the streets are no fresher than indoors, the omnipresent acridity of horse piss and dung, drains, the sudden stench of old death from butchers' shops, the amniotic horror of the fishmonger."

-Angela Carter