chatouiller

to tickle

Inherited from Middle French [Term?], from Old French catellier (“to excite, cause tremors”), from Medieval Latin catilāre (“tickle”, verb), from Frankish *kitilōn (“to tickle”), from Proto-Germanic *kitilōną, frequentative of *kitōną (“to tickle”), from Proto-Indo-European *geyd- (“to stick, jab, tickle”). Cognate with Old High German kizzilōn (“to tickle”), Old English citelian (“to tickle”), Old Norse kitla (“to tickle”), Middle Dutch katelen (“to tickle”), Dutch kittelen (“to tickle”). More