tickle

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈtɪkl̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #8753

Meanings

1

verb
To touch someone lightly in a way that makes them laugh or twitch.

He tickled the baby's feet and she giggled.
2

verb
To have or cause a slight itching or prickling feeling.

My nose tickles, and I think I'm going to sneeze.
3

noun
A slight itchy or prickling feeling.

I have a persistent tickle in my throat.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

kittle

Word family

Forms tickledticklestickling

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

whatever floats your boat
Matching variant: Whatever tickles your pickle

whatever pleases you or suits your preferences

Simplified etymology

Tickle is a Middle English word related to the sense of tick that meant “to pat” or “touch.” The deeper history of this group is obscure.

Etymology

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.

tiklen Middle English tikken Middle English kitelen Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# tickle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈtɪkl̩/
**Frequency rank:** 8753

## Meanings
1. To touch someone lightly in a way that makes them laugh or twitch.
2. To have or cause a slight itching or prickling feeling.
3. A slight itchy or prickling feeling.

## Examples
- He tickled the baby's feet and she giggled.
- My nose tickles, and I think I'm going to sneeze.
- I have a persistent tickle in my throat.

## Synonyms
- kittle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: tiklen
- Root: tikken
- Root: kitelen

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Tickle is 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.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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