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tick

/tɪk/ noun

In Latin: ricinus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tick at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A metallic tapping sound.
    he counted the ticks of the clock
  2. Any of two families of small parasitic arachnids with barbed proboscis; feed on blood of warm-blooded animals.
  3. A mark indicating that something has been noted or completed etc.
    as he called the role he put a check mark by each student's name

verb

  1. Make a clicking or ticking sound.
    The clock ticked away
  2. Make a sound like a clock or a timer.
    the clocks were ticking
  3. Sew.
    tick a mattress

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)