Itchy Meaning
/ˈɪt͡ʃi/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjCharacterized by itching. (of a condition)
adjFeeling an itching sensation; feeling a need to be scratched. (of a person, animal or body part)
Sentence Examples
I have an itchy crotch.
Chicken pox is an itchy nuisance for kids.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The contact with the plant caused a red and ____ bump on my skin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He wore an ____ wool sweater that made him feel very uncomfortable during the entire party.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English *yicchy, *ȝicchi, from Old English ġiċċiġ (“itchy”), equivalent to itch + -y. Cognate with Scots yeukie (“itchy”), West Frisian jokkerich (“itchy”), Dutch jeukachtig and jeukerig (“itchy”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Excess, the scrophulous and itchy plague / That seizes first the opulent"
— 1785, William Cowper, “Book IV. The Winter Evening.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC, page 167:
"Her heart kicked and an itchy burning in her throat made her swallow all her saliva away."
— 1987, Toni Morrison, Beloved, New York: Knopf, Part 3, p. 243:
"Q. What do you mean by a natural, but sickly delight?
A. I mean such a delight as Itchie people have to scratch, green-sickness Garles to eat coles and chalk, and those in a burning Fever, to drink cold drink."
— 1659, Lyon Freeman, The Common-wealths Catechism, London: John Clowes, pages 15–16:
"I heard the trumpet of its famous mosquito, but did not feel its attacks; still the itchy hillocks on my hands for some days afterwards reported the venom of the insect."
— 1869, John Tyndall, “Odds and Ends of Alpine Life”, in Littel’s Living Age, Series 4, Vol. 13, No. 1303, p. 471:
"[…] the hot, dusty air swept in through the open windows and made Adam’s eyes itchy and teary."
— 2009, Tash Aw, chapter 34, in Map of the Invisible World, New York: Spiegel & Grau, published 2010, page 314:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The contact with the plant caused a red and ____ bump on my skin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He wore an ____ wool sweater that made him feel very uncomfortable during the entire party.