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Glite Dictionary
🥃 A small measure ⛵ A small mast 🐜 A biting mite
jigger

jigger

9.9
A tiny creature that burrows into the skin and causes strong itching
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɪɡər/
  • South African
translation icon : jigger
  • The intense itching was traced back to a jigger infestation.

Examples

  • I found a jigger on my arm after hiking.

  • Doctors examined the patient and found several jiggers embedded in the skin.

  • The presence of jiggers in the region has led to many cases of skin irritation.

  • The jigger can cause severe itching.

  • The intense itching on my leg was caused by a jigger that had bitten me.

  • After spending a day in the woods, I discovered a jigger had infested my skin.

  • He scratched the rash on his ankle, suspecting it was from a jigger bite.

Synonyms

chigger
vsjigger
  • US
4 9.9

A tiny red bug whose bite makes the skin very itchy

feeds on vertebrate blood without implying burrowing into skin
redbug
vsjigger
  • US
9.9

A tiny mite that bites people and makes their skin very itchy

is the general larval blood feeder across vertebrates causing intense irritation
harvest mite
vsjigger
  • UK
8.1

A very small baby bug that bites people and makes red itchy bumps on the skin

is similar but described with intense irritation rather than severe itching

Surface Forms

jigger singular
jiggers plural

Etymology

Jigger for the skin‑burrowing pest comes from Caribbean Spanish chigoe, a name for a 'tiny flea' that burrows into the skin. That's why a jigger is a very small parasite that causes intense itching.