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Tickle
Definitions
- 1 Changeable, capricious; insecure. obsolete
"So ticle be the termes of mortall state, And full of subtile sophismes, which do play With double senses, and with false debate […]"
- 1 Insecurely, precariously, unstably.
"Lucio. I warrant it is: And thy head stands so tickle on thy shoulders, that a milke-maid, if she be in loue, may sigh it off: Send after the Duke, and appeale to him."
- 1 A habitational surname from Old English.
- 1 The act of tickling.
- 2 the act of tickling wordnet
- 3 An itchy feeling resembling the result of tickling.
"I have a persistent tickle in my throat."
- 4 a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking wordnet
- 5 A light tap of the ball. informal
"There's a very fine line between a tickle and an edge!"
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- 6 A narrow strait, such as between an island and the shore. Newfoundland
"Charts and Plans. [...] No. New Charts. 2253 England, and south coast—Dartmouth harbour. [...] 3320 Newfoundland, Thimble tickles and Glover harbour—Head of Seal bay."
- 1 To touch repeatedly or stroke delicately in a manner which typically causes laughter, pleasure and twitching. transitive
"He tickled Nancy's tummy, and she started to giggle."
- 2 touch or stroke lightly wordnet
- 3 To feel as if the body part in question is being tickled. intransitive
"My nose tickles, and I'm going to sneeze!"
- 4 feel sudden intense sensation or emotion wordnet
- 5 To appeal to someone's taste, curiosity etc. transitive
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- 6 touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements wordnet
- 7 To cause delight or amusement in. transitive
"He was tickled to receive such a wonderful gift."
- 8 To feel titillation. intransitive
"He with secret joy therefore Did tickle inwardly in every vein."
- 9 To catch fish in the hand (usually in rivers or smaller streams) by manually stimulating the fins. transitive
- 10 To be excited or heartened. archaic
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.
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.
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.
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.
From Tickhill in England.
See also for "tickle"
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