pricking

American  

[prik-ing] / ˈprɪk ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that pricks.

2. a prickly or smarting sensation.

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Etymology

Origin of pricking

before 1000; Middle English; Old English pricung; prick, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

It is only then, once you are still, that a now low, whipping wind, riddled with sand begins pricking and abrading your skin and collecting in the pages of your novel; it is intolerable.

From Salon

Blood obtained by pricking a baby’s heel was collected on filter paper and tested for phenylketonuria, a rare metabolic condition that, if untreated, causes intellectual disability.

From Scientific American

The researchers found that people carrying three so-called Neanderthal variants in the gene SCN9A, which is implicated in sensory neurons, are more sensitive to pain from skin pricking after prior exposure to mustard oil.

From Science Daily

The current gold standard test—only conducted in specialized allergy clinics—involves pricking the skin and injecting a small amount of penicillin.

From Scientific American

District Judge Thomas Ludington is not interfering with the practice of pricking the heels of babies to draw blood to screen for more than 50 diseases, a longstanding procedure in hospitals across the United States.

From Seattle Times