Etymology

twitch

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Today it means: A brief, small (sometimes involuntary) movement out of place and then back again; a spasm. Full definition →

First used 15th–17th c.Middle English twicchen ← Old English *twiċċan ← Proto-West Germanic *twikkijan
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twitch · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*twikkijan“to nail, pin, fasten, clasp, pinch”
  2. Old English · inherited from*twiċċan
  3. Middle English · inherited fromtwicchen
  4. English todaytwitch

From Middle English twicchen, from Old English *twiċċan, from Proto-West Germanic *twikkijan (“to nail, pin, fasten, clasp, pinch”). Cognate with English tweak, Low German twikken, German Low German twicken (“to pinch, pinch off”), zweckōn and gizwickan (> German zwicken (“to pinch”)).

twitch · noun2

alternate of quitch

Twitch · proper noun3

Inspired by the term twitch gameplay.

First known use, by meaning

  • 15th–17th c. To exert oneself.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.