Old English gicce, from giccan (v.) "to itch" (see itch (v.)). Sense of "restless desire" is first attested 1530s; itching in this sense is from mid-14c.[itch etymology, itch origin, 英语词源]
Old English giccan "to itch," from West Germanic *jukkjan (cognates: Middle Dutch jöken "to itch," Old High German jucchen, German jucken). Related: Itched; itching.