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Added 9 October 2026

prickle

/ˈpɹɪkəl/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prickle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf.

verb

Cause a prickling sensation.
Cause a stinging or tingling sensation.
Make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn.
The nurse pricked my finger to get a small blood sample

Origin

From Middle English prykkyl, prykyl, from Old English pricel, pricels, pricle (“a prickle, sharp point, bit”), from a conflation of Proto-West Germanic *prikislī and *prikil (“prickle”). By surface analysis, prick + -le. Cognate with West Frisian prikel (“goad, prickle”), Dutch prikkel (“sting, prickle, stimulus”), German Low German Prekel (“wooden stick, poker”), Saterland Frisian prikkelje (“to propel, spur on, goad”). First attested in the Old English period.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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