stinging nettle

American  

noun

stinging nettles plural

1. a bristly, stinging Eurasian nettle, Urtica dioica, naturalized in North America, having forked clusters of greenish flowers, the young foliage sometimes cooked and eaten like spinach by the Scots.

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stinging nettle British  

noun

1. See nettle

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stinging nettles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stinging nettle

First recorded in 1515–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stinging nettle

There’s also a less pervasive threat, stinging nettle.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2023

After a warning to steer clear of pesky stinging nettle, we set off.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 16, 2021

On the side of the road, he got a stinging nettle rash.

From New York Times ● May 21, 2019

After the initial diagnosis, yachaks rub their patient's body with herbs, including stinging nettle, known across the Andes for its cleansing properties.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2012

It is a very common moth, flying at dusk during June and July in waste places where the stinging nettle grows.

From Butterflies and Moths (British) by Furneaux, William S.