See also: Ache and AChE

English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English aken (verb), and ache (noun), from Old English acan (verb) (from Proto-West Germanic *akan, from Proto-Germanic *akaną (to be bad, be evil)) and æċe (noun) (from Proto-West Germanic *aki, from Proto-Germanic *akiz), both from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eg- (sin, crime). Cognate with Saterland Frisian eeke, ääke (to ache, fester), Low German aken, achen, äken (to hurt, ache), German Low German Eek (inflammation), North Frisian akelig, æklig (terrible, miserable, sharp, intense), West Frisian aaklik (nasty, horrible, dismal, dreary), Dutch akelig (nasty, horrible).

The verb was originally strong, conjugating for tense like take (e.g. I ake, I oke, I have aken), but gradually became weak during Middle English; the noun was originally pronounced as /eɪt͡ʃ/ as spelled (compare breach, from break). Historically the verb was spelled ake, and the noun ache (even after the form /eɪk/ started to become common for the noun; compare again break which is now also a noun). The verb came to be spelled like the noun when lexicographer Samuel Johnson mistakenly assumed that it derived from Ancient Greek ἄχος (ákhos, pain) due to the similarity in form and meaning of the two words.

Pronunciation edit

  • enPR: āk, IPA(key): /ˈeɪk/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪk

Verb edit

ache (third-person singular simple present aches, present participle aching, simple past ached or (obsolete) oke, past participle ached or (obsolete) aken)

  1. (intransitive, stative) To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed.
    My feet were aching for days after the marathon.
    Every muscle in his body ached.
  2. (transitive, literary, rare) To cause someone or something to suffer pain.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Noun edit

ache (plural aches)

  1. Continued dull pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain.
    You may suffer a minor ache in your side.
    The aches and pains died down after taking an analgesic.
    • c. 1610, Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act I, Scene II:
      Fill all thy bones with aches.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

See also edit

References edit

  • Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition.

Etymology 2 edit

From Middle English ache, from Old French ache, from Latin apium (celery). Reinforced by modern French ache.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ache (plural aches)

  1. (obsolete or historical) Parsley.
Derived terms edit

Etymology 3 edit

Representing the pronunciation of the letter H.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ache (plural aches)

  1. Rare spelling of aitch.

Anagrams edit

French edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Latin apia, plural of apium (celery).

Noun edit

ache f (plural aches)

  1. celery (plant)

Etymology 2 edit

Inherited from Middle French ache, from Old French ache, from Vulgar Latin *acca, probably an extension of earlier ha, from an unindentified source. Compare Italian acca.

Noun edit

ache m (plural aches)

  1. aitch, The name of the Latin-script letter H.
Descendants edit
  • Persian: هاش
  • Romanian: haș
  • Russian: аш ()
  • → Vietnamese: hát

Further reading edit

Galician edit

Verb edit

ache

  1. inflection of achar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Middle English edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Old English eċe, ace, æċe, from Proto-West Germanic *aki, from Proto-Germanic *akiz. Some forms are remodelled on aken.

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈaːk(ə)/, /ˈaːt͡ʃ(ə)/, /ˈat͡ʃ(ə)/, /ˈɛːt͡ʃ(ə)/, /ˈɛt͡ʃ(ə)/

Noun edit

ache (plural aches)

  1. Aching; long-lasting hurting or injury.
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
References edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Old French ache, from Latin apium.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈat͡ʃ(ə)/, /ˈaːt͡ʃ(ə)/

Noun edit

ache (plural aches)

  1. A plant of the genus Apium, especially celery.
Descendants edit
References edit

Norman edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun edit

ache f (uncountable)

  1. (Jersey) wild celery
    Synonym: céléri sauvage

Portuguese edit

Pronunciation edit

 
 

  • Rhymes: (Brazil) -aʃi, (Portugal) -aʃɨ
  • Hyphenation: a‧che

Verb edit

ache

  1. inflection of achar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative