prickle

[ prik-uhl ]

/ ˈprɪk əl /

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See synonyms for: prickle / prickled / prickling on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sharp point.

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

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

a pricking sensation.

verb (used with object), prick·led, prick·ling.

to prick lightly.

to cause a pricking or tingling sensation in.

verb (used without object), prick·led, prick·ling.

to tingle as if pricked.

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Origin of prickle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM prickle

un·prick·led, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prickle in a sentence

Little by little his nerves were quieted, his prickling senses went into a state of languid contemplation.
The conquest of Rome|Matilde Serao
He forced his knees under the roots of the beating wings and dug heels into prickling hair.
The Piebald Hippogriff|Karen Anderson
It caused all but the bravest of the beasts, their hair prickling on their backs, to run in panic through the jungle darkness.
The Link|Alan Edward Nourse
Another wave of prickling fire raced down his neck, as Lurgan Sahib moved his hand.
Kim|Rudyard Kipling

A prickling sensation down one entire side of his body was followed by a partial numbness and paralysis that alarmed him.
Through Apache Lands|R. H. Jayne

British Dictionary definitions for prickle

prickle

/ (ˈprɪkəl) /

noun

botany a pointed process arising from the outer layer of a stem, leaf, etc, and containing no woody or conducting tissueCompare thorn (def. 1)

a pricking or stinging sensation

verb

to feel or cause to feel a stinging sensation

(tr) to prick, as with a thorn

Word Origin for prickle

Old English pricel; related to Middle Low German prekel, German Prickel

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

prickle

Origin of prickle

OTHER WORDS FROM prickle

Words related to prickle

How to use prickle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prickle

Word Origin for prickle