Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun That part of the spine in quadrupeds which extends from between the shoulder-blades to the loins, and which the animal cannot reach to scratch.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The part of an animal's
skin that it cannot reach to scratch itself - usually the space between the shoulder blades.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From ἄκνηστις (aknēstis, "spine"), from the Ancient Greek word knestis ("spine, cheese-grater").
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word acnestis.
Examples
-
Curious word of the day: acnestis - that part of an animal's skin that it cannot reach to scratch.
Progressive Bloggers 2009
-
In what has to be the longest post-election season in living memory, the last five months have felt like an acnestis upon our collective soul; like that little patch of skin on our backs that we just can't reach to scratch ourselves.
unknown title 2008
reesetee commented on the word acnestis
That annoying spot on your back that you can't reach to scratch.
February 27, 2007
rolig commented on the word acnestis
A word that should be revived.
January 27, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word acnestis
And a place that should be lotioned.
January 27, 2009
rolig commented on the word acnestis
Not necessarily, C_b.
I looked this up in the Century Dictionary Online (thanks again, Sionnach) and was a little surprised to find that this word really does refer simply to a place on the back that is unscratchable (which is exactly what the Greek origin of the word means); it's not a rash or some other skin condition (as one might think from its first four letters). I just refers to a place on the body, which may in fact be completely itch-free.
January 28, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word acnestis
And that spot on my back is itchy because my skin is dry and I can't reach it with lotion. Plus, it's hard to apply lotion with my claws being, you know, bear claws.
January 28, 2009
reesetee commented on the word acnestis
I think all of this may have derived from my initial wisecrack about not being able to reach this spot to scratch. It was definitely not meant to be a formal definition. So yes, chained_bear apparently needs lotion on that particular part of her ursine back, though that doesn't mean that everyone's acnestis needs lotion. Or scratching, for that matter. :-)
But c_b, don't you guys just rub up against trees when that happens? Signed, An Inquiring Fellow Mammal
January 28, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word acnestis
But then my tiara gets all crooked, and I get bark in my fur. It is such a pain.
January 28, 2009
reesetee commented on the word acnestis
Oh. Well, it isn't easy being an Ursine Queen, I suppose.
January 28, 2009
frindley commented on the word acnestis
According to one source it applies only to quadrupeds: "That part of the spine which reaches from betwixt the shoulder blades to the loins. This name seems only applicable to quadrupeds, because they cannot reach it to scratch."
But I don't know – there's definitely a small part of my back that I can't scratch satisfactorily, and I'm bipedal all the way.
April 10, 2009