Etymology

tick

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Today it means: A tiny woodland arachnid of the suborder Ixodida. Full definition →

Middle English tyke ← Old English ticia ← Proto-West Germanic *tīkō
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tick · noun1

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*tīkō
  2. Old English · inherited fromticia“parasitic animal, tick”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromtyke
  4. English todaytick

From Middle English tyke, teke, from Old English ticia (“parasitic animal, tick”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīkō, compare Dutch teek, German Zecke.

tick · noun2

  1. Middle English · inherited from*tik
  2. English todaytick

From Middle English *tik, tek, tyche (“light touch, tap”), from the verb (see Etymology 3 below). Compare Dutch tik (“a pat, tap”), Middle High German zic (“a slight touch”).

tick · verb3

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*tikkōn“to touch, tap”
  2. Old English · inherited from*ticcian“to touch, tap”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromticken
  4. English todaytick

From Middle English ticken, tiken, probably from Old English *ticcian (“to touch, tap”), from Proto-West Germanic *tikkōn (“to touch, tap”), cognate with German zecken (“to nudge, poke, jab”). Doublet of tig.

tick · noun4

  1. Latin · derived fromtheca“cover”
  2. Middle Low German · derived fromteke
  3. Middle Dutch · derived fromtike
  4. Middle English · inherited fromtike
  5. English todaytick

From Middle English tike, probably from Middle Dutch tike and Middle Low German teke, both ultimately from Latin theca (“cover”). Compare also German Zieche (“duvet, pillowcase”).

tick · noun, verb5

Clipping of ticket.

tick · noun6

  1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*tigā“goat”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*tikkīn“goatling”
  3. Old English · inherited fromtiċċen“young goat; kid”
  4. Middle English · derived fromtiche
  5. Middle English · inherited fromtik-
  6. English todaytick

From Middle English tik-, tic-, tike-, tiken- (in compounds), an unassibilated form of Middle English tiche, tichen (“young goat”), from Old English tiċċen (“young goat; kid”), from Proto-West Germanic *tikkīn (“goatling”), diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *tigā (“goat”). Cognate with regional German Zicke (“nanny goat”), from Ziege (“goat; nanny goat”).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishticken all →

tig

Middle Englishtike all →

tyke

Latintheca all →

theca

Old Englishtiċċen all →

Ticknall

Proto-West Germanic*tigā all →

ziege

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.