Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ITCH, n. [Sax. gictha; D. jeukte; Ch. היכוך; Ar. حِكًهٌ hikkah; Eth. ሐከክ hakke. See the verb.]

1. A cutaneous disease of the human race, appearing in small watery pustules on the skin, accompanied with an uneasiness or irritation that inclines the patient to use friction. This disease is supposed by some authors to be occasioned by a small insect, a species of Acarus, as the microscope detects these insects in the vesicles. Others suppose the pustules only form a nidus for the insects. This disease is taken only by contact or contagion.
2. The sensation in the skin occasioned by the disease.
3. A constant teasing desire; as, an itch for praise; an itch for scribbling. Dryden