aculeate

Also a·cu·le·at·ed

[uh-kyoo-lee-it, -eyt]

adjective

1. Biology.,  having or being any sharp-pointed structure.

2. having a slender ovipositor or sting, as the hymenopterous insects.

3. pointed; stinging.

aculeate

/ əˈkjuːlɪɪt, -ˌeɪt /

adjective

1. cutting; pointed

2. having prickles or spines, as a rose

3. having a sting, as bees, wasps, and ants

Other Word Forms

• nonaculeate adjective
• nonaculeated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aculeate¹

From the Latin word acūleātus, dating back to 1595–1605. See aculeus, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of aculeate¹

C17: from Latin acūleātus; see _aculeus

Example Sentences

Having a sharp point; armed with prickles; prickly; aculeate.

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For none, however socially or financially powerful, was safe from the stab of that aculeate pen, the venom of whose ink is to gleam vividly from the pages of literature for centuries yet to come.

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Some fossors are subject to the depredations of cuckoos, just as the solitary bees are, but their cuckoos are rarely of aculeate origin.

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Related Words

• biting 
• bitter 
• caustic 
• harsh 
• incisive 
• mordant 
• penetrating 
• poignant 
• scathing 
• sharp