Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “itch” come from?

Itch comes from Middle English icche, from Old English ġiċċe, from Proto-Germanic jukjaną, a verb of unknown original meaning.

itch (English): A sensation felt on an area of the skin that...

Definitions

  1. A sensation felt on an area of the skin that...

Ancestry of “itch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishiccheAlternative form of I
2Old Englishġiċċean itch
3Proto-Germanicjukjǭan itch

Words derived from “itch”

  • itching
  • itchy
  • itchiness
  • itchies
  • itchily
  • itcher
  • itchingly
  • itchless
  • itchweed
  • antiitch
  • itchsome
Every word from Proto-Germanic jukjǭ →