prickle

American  

[prik-uhl] / ˈprɪk əl /

noun

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)

prickled, prickling

1. to prick lightly.

2. to cause a pricking or tingling sensation in.

verb (used without object)

prickled, prickling

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

• unprickled
  adjective

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

The thin howling of the wind, the prickle of stars in the dark heavens.

From The Guardian • Feb. 10, 2018

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

When we passed the mill, I got a cold prickle on my neck, like someone was watching me.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff