# ick

Pronunciation: say "IK" /ɪk/

## Interjection

1. Used to express disgust or revulsion at something unpleasant.
   - Simple: A sound or word you say when something is gross or disgusting.
   - _Ick, I just stepped in something wet and sticky._
   - _When she lifted the lid, all she could say was a horrified ick._

## Noun

2. A feeling of revulsion or disgust toward someone or something. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A strong feeling that something or someone is gross or disgusting.
   - _She felt a rush of ick watching the dishes pile up in the sink._
   - _One bad text gave him the ick, and he never replied again._
3. A substance or thing that is distasteful or physically unpleasant to touch. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A gross, sticky, or messy thing that is unpleasant to touch.
   - _He scraped the ick out of the drain with a gloved hand._
   - _The toddler had smeared some unidentifiable ick all over the table._
5. Anything complained about; a gripe. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A complaint, or something a person keeps complaining about.
   - _His constant ick about management wore on his coworkers._
   - _She listened to his ick about the new schedule for a solid hour._
6. Alternative form of ich. — Alternative form of ich (“fish disease”).
   - Simple: Alternative form of ich. It is a common disease that affects fish.
   - _The new fish brought ick into the aquarium and infected everything._
   - _She raised the water temperature gradually to clear the ick._

## Adjective

4. Distasteful or unpleasant; icky. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Gross or unpleasant in a way that bothers you.
   - _There was an ick film of grease coating every surface in the kitchen._
   - _The leftovers smelled ick by the third day in the fridge._

## Origin

**Meaning 1** — This word is probably imitative, echoing a sound of disgust. Its first recorded use appears around 1942.
**Meanings 2–5** — This is a back-formation from 'icky'.
**Meaning 6** — This is probably a pronunciation spelling, though no doubt influenced by the other etymologies and by distaste for the disease.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ick (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).