Etymograph

English

urtication

Urtication comes from Latin urtīca ‘nettle’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEurtīca1‘nettle’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1961urtication1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English urtication
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs: “The Romans had frequent recourse to urtication to arouse…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEurtīcaWiktionary, English urtication‘nettle’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1961urticationWiktionary, English urtication. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs: “The Romans had frequent recourse to urtication to arouse…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁ews- ‘to burn’

ware, primavera, 24 more

through Latin ūrō ‘to burn’

combustion, urn, combust, 21 more

Today it means

noun The development of urticaria (hives).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “urtication”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin urtīca / urtication

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