itch
/ɪtʃ
/noun [usually in singular]
1An uncomfortable sensation on the skin that causes a desire to scratch.But shortly after Ben began eating his lunch, his child-care provider noticed he seemed to be trying to scratch an itch in his mouth....
- Without them, we'd have a hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot.
- I had full sensation - an absolute torment when you can't scratch an itch or move a cramped limb.
Synonyms
tingling, irritation, itchiness, stinging, prickling, tickling;
Medicine paraesthesia
rare formication
1.1 [mass noun, usually with modifier] A skin disease or condition of which itching is a symptom.Neuropathic itch occurs with any disease along the afferent neuronal pathway....
- Symptoms of allergic rhinitis include sneezing, nasal itch, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, postnasal drip, and sometimes pain.
- Elimination of swimmer's itch means controlling the snails.
1.2 informal A restless or strong desire to do something: an itch to write fiction...
- Brig had a strong itch to be the first to teach her.
- Seriously… I still have the itch to write a gossip/society column.
- Personal relations have become restless, fretful, often disturbed by an itch for change and variety.
Synonyms
longing, yearning, pining, craving, ache, burning, hunger, thirst, urge, lust, hankering, need, eagerness, zeal, covetousness;
wish, fancy, desire;
hope, aspiration, dream
informal yen
verb [no object]
1Be the site of or cause an itch: the bite itched like crazy...
- They itch just like mosquito bites but without the big slow mosquito to squish.
- The bite itched like the world, but I resisted the urge to scratch it.
- Her head was itching like crazy and her hair felt lank and greasy.
Synonyms
tingle, be irritated, be itchy, sting, prickle, tickle
1.1(Of a person) experience an itch: I itched all over...
- Drinking more tea afterwards I realised I was itching all over, that's what happens when you crawl around in fibre glass insulated lofts.
- Suddenly I became aware of the fact I was itching all over.
- My teacher explained what it was all about and then left the room so I could show the doctor examples of where I'm itching.
1.2 informal Feel a restless or strong desire to do something: [with infinitive]: Paul was itching to get outside...
- But Royer was a bit restless and was itching to ratchet things up a notch.
- It was as if it was beckoning me outside and I itched to join it.
- It has strong European flavours and is itching to be taken seriously.
Synonyms
long, yearn, pine, ache, burn, hanker for/after, hunger, thirst, lust, pant, hope, be eager, be desperate, be consumed with desire, be unable to wait, would give one's eye teeth, wish, have a fancy;
crave, need, lust after, dream of, set one's heart on, be bent on, eat one's heart out over, covet;
want, desire, fancy, set one's sights on
informal have a yen, be dying, be gagging
Phrases
an itching palm
Origin
Old English gycce (noun), gyccan (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch jeuk (noun) and Dutch jeuken, German jucken (verb).