prickle

American  

[prik-uhl] / ˈprɪk əl /

noun

prickles plural

1. a sharp point.

2. a small, pointed process growing from the bark of a plant.

3. a sharp process or projection, as from the skin of an animal; a spine.

4. a pricking sensation.

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verb (used with object)

prickles, present (3rd person singular) prickled, past participle, past prickling present participle

1. to prick lightly.

2. to cause a pricking or tingling sensation in.

verb (used without object)

prickles, present (3rd person singular) prickled, past participle, past prickling present participle

1. to tingle as if pricked.

prickle British  

/ ˈprɪkəl /

noun

1. botany a pointed process arising from the outer layer of a stem, leaf, etc, and containing no woody or conducting tissue Compare thorn

2. a pricking or stinging sensation

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verb

1. to feel or cause to feel a stinging sensation

2. (tr) to prick, as with a thorn

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unprickled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prickles
  plural

Participles

• prickling
  present
• prickled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prickle
  simple
• prickles
  simple
• have prickled
  perfect
• has prickled
  perfect
• am prickling
  progressive
• are prickling
  progressive
• is prickling
  progressive
• have been prickling
  perfect progressive
• has been prickling
  perfect progressive

Past

• prickled
  simple
• had prickled
  perfect
• was prickling
  progressive
• were prickling
  progressive
• had been prickling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prickle
  simple
• will have prickled
  perfect
• will be prickling
  progressive
• will have been prickling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of prickle

before 950; Middle English prykel (noun), Old English pricel. See prick, -le

Explanation

A prickle is a thorn or a bramble, a small, sharp place on a plant. When you're climbing over your neighbor's fence to get your Frisbee back, watch out for the prickles on their blackberry bushes! In addition to "thorny spikes," another meaning of prickle is "a pricking or tingling sensation," like the prickle that runs down your back when you hear the eerie sound of a coyote howling near your campground. To prickle is to create this sensation, a feeling that, like the word itself, is a combination of prick and a tickle.

Example Sentences

“It made the back of my neck prickle from its first pages, and that feeling never went away,” wrote New York Times reviewer Dwight Garner.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 19, 2022

Southampton’s briny scent began to prickle the air; he caught his first glimpse of the sea.

From Washington Post • Dec. 30, 2021

When it did, our legs began to prickle all over with pins and needles.

From The Guardian • Jan. 12, 2021

Cervantes and Bocaccio,, Mark Twain, Washington Irving, Abe Lincoln, and Will Rogers are already smiling, because they know the game may prickle but it's wholesome fun.Steward,

From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2017

He crooned a long, soft howl, so wolflike it made the skin on the backs of the children’s necks prickle.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood