ache n : a dull persistent (usually moderately intense) pain [syn: aching]

1 feel physical pain; "Were you hurting after the accident?" [syn: hurt, suffer]

2 have a desire for something or someone who is not present; "She ached for a cigarette"; "I am pining for my lover" [syn: yearn, yen, pine, languish]

3 be the source of pain [syn: smart, hurt]

English

Etymology 1

From Old (and modern) French ache, from Latin apium, parsley.

Pronunciation

• • , /eɪtʃ/, /eItS/
  • Rhymes with: -eɪtʃ

Noun

1. Parsley.

Etymology 2

Old English acan (verb), from æċe (noun), from West Germanic. The verb was originally strong, declining like take etc., but has taken weak endings since Middle English. Historically the verb was spelled ake, until Dr Johnson mistakenly derived it from Ancient Greek , pain.

Pronunciation

• • , /eɪk/, /eIk/
  • Rhymes with: -eɪk

Verb

1. To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed.

   • Fie, how my bones ache! - Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, II-v
   • The sins that in your conscience ache. — Keble

Derived terms

• ache for

Translations

Noun

1. Continued dull pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain.

   • Fill all thy bones with aches - Shakespeare, Tempest, I-ii

   Note: Often used in composition, as, a headache, an earache, a toothache

Translations

Derived terms

• aches and pains
• achy
• backache
• bellyache
• earache
• headache
• stomachache
• toothache

References

• Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition.

Etymology 3

Representing the pronunciation of the letter H.

Noun

1. A variant spelling of aitch.

Anagrams

• each

Ache may refer to:

• Ache (album), a You've Got Foetus on Your Breath album
• Ache Records, a Vancouver-based record label
• Ache, a chronic, painful sensation
• The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)

See also

• Aché
• AChE

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