*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of itch

From Middle English icche, ȝicche, from Old English ġiċċe (“itch”), from Proto-Germanic *jukjǭ (“itch”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots yeuk (“itch, itchiness”), Dutch jeuk (“itch”), German jucken.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A sensation felt on an area of the skin that causes a person or animal to want to scratch said area. · A constant teasing desire or want.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English icche, ȝicche, from Old English ġiċċe (“itch”), from Proto-Germanic *jukjǭ (“itch”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots yeuk (“itch, itchiness”), Dutch jeuk (“itch”), German jucken.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentioniccheenm
  • Inherited-form mentionġiċċeang · itch
  • Inherited-form mention*jukjǭgem-pro · itch
  • Cognate mentionyeuksco · itch, itchiness
  • Cognate mentionjeuknl · itch
  • Cognate mentionjuckende
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "icche"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English icche"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġiċċe",
        "t": "itch"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġiċċe (“itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*jukjǭ",
        "t": "itch"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *jukjǭ (“itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "yeuk",
        "t": "itch, itchiness"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots yeuk (“itch, itchiness”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "jeuk",
        "t": "itch"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch jeuk (“itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "jucken",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "German jucken"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "icche",
      "icche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝicche",
      "ȝicche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġiċċe",
      "gicce#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*jukjǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/jukjǭ"
    ],
    [
      "yeuk",
      "yeuk#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "jeuk",
      "jeuk#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "jucken",
      "jucken#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sensation felt on an area of the skin that causes a person or animal to want to scratch said area.",
        "A constant teasing desire or want."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To feel itchy; to feel a need to be scratched. · To have a constant, teasing urge; to feel strongly motivated; to want or desire something. · To cause to feel an itch. · To scratch or rub so as to relieve an itch.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English icchen, ȝicchen, from Old English ġiċċan, ġyċċan (“to itch”), from Proto-West Germanic *jukkjan (“to itch”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots yeuk (“to itch”), West Frisian jûkje (“to itch”), Dutch jeuken (“to itch”), Low German jocken (“to itch”), German jucken (“to itch”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionicchenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionġiċċanang
  • Inherited-form mention*jukkjangmw-pro · to itch
  • Cognate mentionyeuksco · to itch
  • Cognate mentionjûkjefy · to itch
  • Cognate mentionjeukennl · to itch
  • Cognate mentionjockennds · to itch
  • Cognate mentionjuckende · to itch
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "icchen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English icchen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġiċċan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġiċċan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*jukkjan",
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *jukkjan (“to itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "yeuk",
        "t": "to itch"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots yeuk (“to itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "jûkje",
        "t": "to itch"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian jûkje (“to itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "jeuken",
        "t": "to itch"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch jeuken (“to itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "jocken",
        "t": "to itch"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German jocken (“to itch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "jucken",
        "t": "to itch"
      },
      "expansion": "German jucken (“to itch”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "icchen",
      "icchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝicchen",
      "ȝicchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġiċċan",
      "giccan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġyċċan",
      "gyccan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*jukkjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/jukkjan"
    ],
    [
      "yeuk",
      "yeuk#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "jûkje",
      "jûkje#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "jeuken",
      "jeuken#Dutch"
    ],
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      "jocken",
      "jocken#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "jucken",
      "jucken#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To feel itchy; to feel a need to be scratched.",
        "To have a constant, teasing urge; to feel strongly motivated; to want or desire something.",
        "To cause to feel an itch.",
        "To scratch or rub so as to relieve an itch."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "stative",
        "transitive",
        "colloquial"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for itch →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aXRjaA