tick

I. noun Etymology: Middle English tyke, teke; akin to Middle High German zeche tick, Armenian tiz Date: 14th century 1. any of a superfamily (Ixodoidea) of bloodsucking acarid arachnids that are larger than the related mites, attach themselves to warm-blooded vertebrates to feed, and include important vectors of infectious diseases 2. any of various usually wingless parasitic dipteran flies — compare sheep ked II. noun Etymology: Middle English tike, probably from Middle Dutch (akin to Old High German ziahha tick), from Latin theca cover, from Greek thēkē case; akin to Greek tithenai to place — more at do Date: 15th century 1. the fabric case of a mattress, pillow, or bolster; also a mattress consisting of a tick and its filling 2. ticking I III. noun Etymology: Middle English tek pat, light stroke; akin to Middle High German zic light push Date: 1680 1. a. a light rhythmic audible tap or beat; also a series of such ticks b. the time taken by the tick of a clock ; moment 2. a small spot or mark; especially one used to direct attention to something, to check an item on a list, or to represent a point on a scale IV. verb Date: 1721 intransitive verb 1. to make the sound of a tick or a series of ticks 2. to operate as a functioning mechanism ; run <

tried to understand what made him tick

> <

the motor was ticking over quietly

> transitive verb 1. to mark with a written tick ; check — usually used with off <

ticked off each item in the list

> 2. to mark, count, or announce by or as if by ticking beats <

a meter ticking off the cab fare

> 3. to touch with a momentary glancing blow <

ticked the ball

> V. noun Etymology: short for 1ticket Date: 1642 chiefly British credit, trust; also a credit account