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Added 9 October 2026

twitch

/twɪt͡ʃ/ noun

In Latin: epistomium, repāgulum, pāgula Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about twitch at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A brief, small (sometimes involuntary) movement out of place and then back again; a spasm.
I saw a little twitch in the man's face, and knew he was lying.
Action of spotting or seeking out a bird, especially a rare one.
A stick with a hole in one end through which passes a loop, which can be drawn tightly over the upper lip or an ear of a horse and twisted to keep the animal quiet during minor surgery.

verb

To perform a twitch; spasm.
His fingers were nervously twitching.
To cause to twitch; spasm.
To jerk sharply and briefly.
to twitch somebody's sleeve for attention

noun

couch grass (Elymus repens; a species of grass, often considered as a weed)

Origin

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”)).

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

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