Idioms for tick
what makes one tick,
the motive or explanation of one's behavior: The biographer failed to show what made Herbert Hoover tick.
Origin of tick
1
1400–50; late Middle English
tek little touch; akin to Dutch
tik a touch, pat, Norwegian
tikka to touch or shove slightly. See
tickle
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tick
tic tickWords nearby tick
tic-tac-toe,
tical,
ticarcillin disodium,
tichy,
ticino,
tick,
tick bird,
tick box,
tick fever,
tick off,
tick over
Definition for tick (2 of 4)
tick
2
[ tik ]
/ tɪk /
noun
any of numerous bloodsucking arachnids of the order Acarina, including the families Ixodidae and Argasidae, somewhat larger than the related mites and having a barbed proboscis for attachment to the skin of warm-blooded vertebrates: some ticks are vectors of disease.
Origin of tick
2
before 900; Middle English
teke, tyke, Old English
ticia (perhaps spelling error for
tiica (i.e.
tīca) or
ticca); akin to Low German
tieke, German
Zecke
Definition for tick (3 of 4)
tick
3
[ tik ]
/ tɪk /
noun
the cloth case of a mattress, pillow, etc., containing hair, feathers, or the like.
Also called
bedtick.
Origin of tick
3
1425–75; late Middle English
tikke, teke, tyke (cognate with Dutch
tijk, German
Zieche) ≪ Latin
tēca, thēca < Greek
thḗkē case
Definition for tick (4 of 4)
tick
4
[ tik ]
/ tɪk /
noun Chiefly British Informal.
a score or account.
Origin of tick
4
First recorded in 1635–45; short for
ticket
Example sentences from the Web for tick
British Dictionary definitions for tick (1 of 4)
tick
1
/ (tɪk) /
noun
a recurrent metallic tapping or clicking sound, such as that made by a clock or watch
British informal
a moment or instant
a mark (✓) or dash used to check off or indicate the correctness of something
commerce
the smallest increment of a price fluctuation in a commodity exchange. Tick size is usually 0.01% of the nominal value of the trading unit
verb
Word Origin for tick
C13: from Low German
tikk touch; related to Old High German
zekōn to pluck, Norwegian
tikke to touch
British Dictionary definitions for tick (2 of 4)
tick
2
/ (tɪk) /
noun
any of various small parasitic arachnids of the families Ixodidae (hard ticks) and Argasidae (soft ticks), typically living on the skin of warm-blooded animals and feeding on the blood and tissues of their hosts: order Acarina (mites and ticks)
See also sheep tick (def. 1) Related adjective: acaroid
any of certain other arachnids of the order Acarina
any of certain insects of the dipterous family Hippoboscidae that are ectoparasitic on horses, cattle, sheep, etc, esp the sheep ked
Word Origin for tick
Old English
ticca; related to Middle High German
zeche tick, Middle Irish
dega stag beetle
British Dictionary definitions for tick (3 of 4)
tick
3
/ (tɪk) /
noun
British informal
account or credit (esp in the phrase on tick)
Word Origin for tick
C17: shortened from
ticket
British Dictionary definitions for tick (4 of 4)
Word Origin for tick
C15: probably from Middle Dutch
tīke; related to Old High German
ziecha pillow cover, Latin
tēca case, Greek
thēkē
Medical definitions for tick
tick
[ tĭk ]
n.
Any of numerous small bloodsucking parasitic arachnids of the families Ixodidae and Argasidae, many of which transmit febrile diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.
Any of various usually wingless, louselike insects of the family Hippobosciddae that are parasitic on sheep, goats, and other animals.
Scientific definitions for tick
tick
[ tĭk ]
Any of numerous small, parasitic arachnids of the suborder Ixodida that feed on the blood of animals. Like their close relatives the mites and unlike spiders, ticks have no division between cephalothorax and abdomen. Ticks differ from mites by being generally larger and having a sensory pit at the end of their first pair of legs. Many ticks transmit febrile diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.
Idioms and Phrases with tick
tick