nettle

[ net-l ]
See synonyms for: nettlenettlednettles on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. any plant of the genus Urtica, covered with stinging hairs.: Compare nettle family.

  2. any of various allied or similar plants.

verb (used with object),net·tled, net·tling.
  1. to irritate, annoy, or provoke.

  2. to sting as a nettle does.

Idioms about nettle

  1. grasp the nettle, Australian. to undertake or tackle an unpleasant task.

Origin of nettle

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English netele (noun); cognate with Dutch netel,German Nessel,Norwegian netla

Other words from nettle

  • net·tle·like, adjective
  • nettler, noun
  • nettly, adjective
  • un·net·tled, adjective

Words Nearby nettle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nettle in a sentence

  • General exclamations of surprise and doubt greeted him from our little circle, and this seemed to nettle him somewhat.

    The Way of a Man | Emerson Hough
  • A curious dark blue dead-nettle (Dracocephalum speciosum) was found on dry ground at the same altitude.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
  • "Not a word," said Neeld, grasping the nettle firmly this time.

    Tristram of Blent | Anthony Hope
  • The nettle needs no introduction; we are all too well acquainted with it, yet it is not altogether a weed to be despised.

  • Indeed, the temper of our eminently serene will feel the strain of a doldrum-dulness that is goaded to activity by a nettle.

British Dictionary definitions for nettle

nettle

/ (ˈnɛtəl) /


noun
  1. any weedy plant of the temperate urticaceous genus Urtica, such as U. dioica (stinging nettle), having serrated leaves with stinging hairs and greenish flowers

  2. any of various other urticaceous plants with stinging hairs or spines

  1. any of various plants that resemble urticaceous nettles, such as the dead-nettle, hemp nettle, and horse nettle

  2. grasp the nettle to attempt or approach something with boldness and courage

verb(tr)
  1. to bother; irritate

  2. to sting as a nettle does

Origin of nettle

1
Old English netele; related to Old High German nazza (German Nessel)

Derived forms of nettle

  • nettle-like, adjective
  • nettly, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012