/ eɪk; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
[ v ] to feel a continuous dull pain
SYN hurt :
I'm aching all over.
Her eyes ached from lack of sleep.
( figurative )
It makes my heart ache (= it makes me sad) to see her suffer.
➡ note at hurt
2.
ache for sb/sth ( formal ) to have a strong desire for sb/sth or to do sth
SYN long :
[ v ]
I was aching for home.
[ v to inf ]
He ached to see her.
■ noun
(often in compounds) a continuous feeling of pain in a part of the body :
Mummy, I've got a tummy ache.
Muscular aches and pains can be soothed by a relaxing massage.
( figurative )
an ache in my heart (= a continuous sad feeling)
—see also achy , bellyache , heartache
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English æce (noun), acan (verb). In Middle and early modern English the noun was spelled atche and rhymed with batch and the verb was spelled and pronounced as it is today. The noun began to be pronounced like the verb around 1700. The modern spelling is largely due to Dr Johnson, who mistakenly assumed its derivation to be from Greek akhos pain.