pruri-, prur-, prurit- +

(Latin: itch, itching; be wanton, be eager for)

pruritic
Relating to, characterized by, or marked by itching.
prurition
Itching.
pruritis (a misspelling of "pruritus")
1. Itching which can result from drug reaction, food allergy, kidney or liver disease, cancers, parasites, aging or dry skin, contact skin reaction; such as, poison ivy, and for unknown reasons.
2. An itch which is an uncomfortable sensation felt on an area of skin that causes a person, or animal, to desire to scratch that area.

Such itching can be related to anything from dry skin to undiagnosed cancer.

pruritogenic
Capable of causing or tending to cause pruritus.
pruritus hiemalis
Itching related to cold, either from the climate or air-conditioning.

Dryness is also a factor; frost-itch, winter itch.

pruritus senilis, senile pruritus
The pruritus of the aged, probably caused by a lack of oil in the skin; and which accompanies the atrophy of the skin in old age.
pruritus, itching
1. A condition that has as the dominant symptom a desire to scratch some part of the body to relieve irritation.
2. A sensation which elicits the desire to scratch.
3. Itching, an uncomfortable sensation due to irritation of a peripheral sensory nerve; a symptom rather than a disease.

Pruritus does not always originate from stimulation to the skin associated with primary dermatological disorders. It may be caused by neurological or behavioral disorders.

An itch which arises from the irritation of nerve cells associated with the skin

Pruritus serves as an important sensory and self-protective mechanism; as do many other skin sensations, by alerting people to harmful external agents.

Constant itching can become unbearable if the underlying condition is not treated.

—Excerpts from
"How do itches come about, and why does it feel good to scratch them?"
answered by Mark A.W. Andrews, associate professor of physiology
at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine;
Scientific American, June, 2007; page 80.
psychogenic pruritus
Pruritus caused by a psychological condition.
symptomatic pruritus
Itching occurring as a symptom of some systemic disease.
winter prurigo
An irritable eruption characterized by intense itching, associated with chronic exposure to cold; winter itch, lumberman's itch, frost itch.