tickle

Meanings

1. 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. 2
   verb

   To have or cause a slight itching or prickling feeling.

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

3. 3
   noun

   A slight itchy or prickling feeling.

   I have a persistent tickle in my throat.

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.

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