Adjacent Words

Bristle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BRIS'TLE, n. bris'l.
1. The stiff glossy hair of swine, especially that growing on the back, used for making brushes; similar hair on other animals.
2. A species of pubescence on plants, in form of stiff roundish hair.
BRIS'TLE, v.t. To erect in bristles; to erect in defiance or anger, like a swine; as, to bristle the crest.
1. To fix a bristle; as, to bristle a thread.
BRIS'TLE, v.i. To rise or stand erect; as, the hair bristles.
1. To raise the head and strut, as in anger or defiance; as, a man bristles up to another. In this sense the word is common in the U. States,but generally pronounced brustle.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament); natural or synthetic
2: a stiff hair v
1: be in a state of movement or action; "The room abounded with screaming children"; "The garden bristled with toddlers" [syn: abound, burst, bristle]
2: rise up as in fear; "The dog's fur bristled"; "It was a sight to make one's hair uprise!" [syn: bristle, uprise, stand up]
3: have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles; "bristling leaves"
4: react in an offended or angry manner; "He bristled at her suggestion that he should teach her how to use the program"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English bristil, from brust bristle, from Old English byrst; akin to Old High German burst bristle, and perhaps to Latin fastigium top Date: 14th century a short stiff coarse hair or filament • bristlelike adjective II. verb (bristled; bristling) Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to furnish with bristles 2. to make bristly ; ruffle intransitive verb 1. a. to rise and stand stiffly erect <quills bristling> b. to raise the bristles (as in anger) 2. to take on an aggressively defensive attitude (as in response to a slight or criticism) <he bristled at the accusations of corruption> 3. a. to be full of or covered with especially something suggestive of bristles <roofs bristled with chimneys> b. to be full of something specified <book bristles with detail and irony — W. J. Broad>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a short stiff hair, esp. one of those on an animal's back. 2 this, or a man-made substitute, used in clumps to make a brush. --v. 1 a intr. (of the hair) stand upright, esp. in anger or pride. b tr. make (the hair) do this. 2 intr. show irritation or defensiveness. 3 intr. (usu. foll. by with) be covered or abundant (in). Etymology: ME bristel, brestel f. OE byrst

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bristle Bris"tle (br[i^]s"s'l), n. [OE. bristel, brustel, AS. bristl, byrst; akin to D. borstel, OHG. burst, G. borste, Icel. burst, Sw. borst, and to Skr. bh[.r]shti edge, point, and prob, L. fastigium extremity, Gr. 'a`flaston stern of a ship, and E. brush, burr, perh. to brad. [root]96.] 1. A short, stiff, coarse hair, as on the back of swine. 2. (Bot.) A stiff, sharp, roundish hair. --Gray.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bristle Bris"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bristled; p. pr. & vb. n. Bristling.] 1. To erect the bristles of; to cause to stand up, as the bristles of an angry hog; -- sometimes with up. Now for the bare-picked bone of majesty Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest. --Shak. Boy, bristle thy courage up. --Shak. 2. To fix a bristle to; as, to bristle a thread.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bristle Bris"tle, v. i. 1. To rise or stand erect, like bristles. His hair did bristle upon his head. --Sir W. Scott. 2. To appear as if covered with bristles; to have standing, thick and erect, like bristles. The hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten thousand bayonets. --Thackeray. Ports bristling with thousands of masts. --Macaulay. 3. To show defiance or indignation. To bristle up, to show anger or defiance.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bristles) 1. Bristles are the short hairs that grow on a man's chin after he has shaved. The hairs on the top of a man's head can also be called bristles when they are cut very short. ...two days' growth of bristles... = stubble N-COUNT: usu pl 2. The bristles of a brush are the thick hairs or hair-like pieces of plastic which are attached to it. As soon as the bristles on your toothbrush begin to wear, throw it out. N-COUNT 3. Bristles are thick, strong animal hairs that feel hard and rough. It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Point with a bristle, fasten a bristle on. 2. Make bristly, roughen, erect in bristles, corrugate, bethorn, bespine, ruffle. II. v. n. 1. Stand on end, stand up like bristles. 2. Be horrent. 3. [With up.] Become irritated, show anger, take offence, ruffle, bridle.

Moby Thesaurus

Vandyke, acuminate, aggravate, anger, annoy, arise, arouse, badger, bait, barb, barbel, be alive, be at, be keen, beard, beaver, bedevil, beset, bite, blow up, boil, boil over, bother, bramble, bridle, bridle up, brier, bristle up, bristle with, bristles, brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn, burn up, burr, cactus, capillament, catchweed, chafe, chivy, cilium, cleavers, coat, cock up, corrugate, crawl, crinkle, crumple, cut, devil, discompose, distemper, disturb, dog, down, embitter, exasperate, exercise, fash, flare up, fleece, flip out, fret, fume, fur, get, get mad, get sore, get up, goatee, goose grass, gripe, hair, harass, harry, have an edge, heckle, hector, horripilate, horsehair, hound, huff, imperial, incense, inflame, irk, irritate, jump up, mane, miff, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, peach fuzz, peeve, pelt, persecute, pester, pick on, pile, pine needle, pique, plague, pluck the beard, pother, prick, prickle, provoke, pubescence, pubic hair, quill, rage, ramp, rankle, reach boiling point, rear, rear up, ride, rile, rise, rise up, roil, ruffle, rumple, see red, seethe, set on edge, set up, seta, setula, setule, shag, side whiskers, sit bolt upright, sit up, spicule, spiculum, spike, spikelet, spine, stand up, stick, stick up, sticker, sting, stir the blood, stir up, striga, stubble, swarm, tease, teem, thistle, thorn, torment, try the patience, tuft, tweak the nose, upheave, uprear, uprise, vex, whisker, whiskers, wool, work up, worry, wrinkle, yucca