Question 1 · Quick check
tickle
CEFRB1
/ˈtɪkl̩/
verb · noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
verb
To touch someone lightly so that they laugh.
- 02
verb
Extra detailA light tap of the ball.
Examples
Tickle his foot and you'll see how he wakes up.
Why can't we tickle ourselves?
At a glance
Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 2
- Citations
- 5
- Synonyms
- 1
Deep Dive
verb
Extra meaningAn itchy feeling resembling the result of tickling.
noun
Extra meaningsThe act of tickling.
A narrow strait, such as between an island and the shore.
More examples
In contextHe tickled Nancy's tummy, and she started to giggle.
I have a persistent tickle in my throat.
My nose tickles, and I'm going to sneeze!
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
verb
From Middle English tiklen, tikelen, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a frequentative form of Middle English tikken (“to touch lightly”), thus equivalent to tick + -le; or perhaps related to Old English tinclian (“to tickle”). Compare North Frisian tigele (“to tickle”) (Hallig dialect), and tiikle (“to tickle”) (Amrum dialect), German dialectal zicklen (“to excite; stir up”). Alternatively, from a metathetic alteration of Middle English kitelen ("to tickle"; see kittle). Both are ultimately sound-symbolic.