Adjacent Words

Nettle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

NETTLE, n. A plant of the genus Urtica, whose prickles fret the skin and occasion very painful sensations.
And near the noisome nettle blooms the rose.
NETTLE, v.t. To fret or sting; to irritate or vex; to excite sensations of displeasure or uneasiness, not amounting to wrath or violent anger.
The princes were nettled at the scandal of this affront.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of numerous plants having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation on contact (especially of the genus Urtica or family Urticaceae) v
1: sting with or as with nettles and cause a stinging pain or sensation [syn: nettle, urticate]
2: cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves" [syn: annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark, nettle, gravel, vex, chafe, devil]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English netel; akin to Old High German nazza nettle, Greek adik? Date: before 12th century 1. any of a genus (Urtica of the family Urticaceae, the nettle family) of chiefly coarse herbs armed with stinging hairs 2. any of various prickly or stinging plants other than the true nettles (genus Urtica) II. transitive verb (nettled; nettling) Date: 15th century 1. to strike or sting with or as if with nettles 2. to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger Synonyms: see irritate

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 any plant of the genus Urtica, esp. U. dioica, with jagged leaves covered with stinging hairs. 2 any of various plants resembling this. --v.tr. 1 irritate, provoke, annoy. 2 sting with nettles. Phrases and idioms: nettle-rash a skin eruption like nettle stings. Etymology: OE netle, netele

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nettle Net"tle, n. [AS. netele; akin to D. netel, G. nessel, OHG. nezz["i]la, nazza, Dan. nelde, n["a]lde, Sw. n["a]ssla; cf, Lith. notere.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Urtica, covered with minute sharp hairs containing a poison that produces a stinging sensation. Urtica gracitis is common in the Northern, and U. cham[ae]dryoides in the Southern, United States. the common European species, U. urens and U. dioica, are also found in the Eastern united States. U. pilulifera is the Roman nettle of England. Note: The term nettle has been given to many plants related to, or to some way resembling, the true nettle; as: Australian nettle, a stinging tree or shrub of the genus Laportea (as L. gigas and L. moroides); -- also called nettle tree. Bee nettle, Hemp nettle, a species of Galeopsis. See under Hemp. Blind nettle, Dead nettle, a harmless species of Lamium. False nettle (B[ae]hmeria cylindrica), a plant common in the United States, and related to the true nettles. Hedge nettle, a species of Stachys. See under Hedge. Horse nettle (Solanum Carolinense). See under Horse. nettle tree. (a) Same as Hackberry. (b) See Australian nettle (above). Spurge nettle, a stinging American herb of the Spurge family (Jatropha urens). Wood nettle, a plant (Laportea Canadensis) which stings severely, and is related to the true nettles. Nettle cloth, a kind of thick cotton stuff, japanned, and used as a substitute for leather for various purposes. Nettle rash (Med.), an eruptive disease resembling the effects of whipping with nettles. Sea nettle (Zo["o]l.), a medusa.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nettle Net"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nettled; p. pr. & vb. n. Nettling.] To fret or sting; to irritate or vex; to cause to experience sensations of displeasure or uneasiness not amounting to violent anger. The princes were so nettled at the scandal of this affront, that every man took it to himself. --L'Estrange.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(nettles, nettling, nettled) 1. Nettles are wild plants which have leaves covered with fine hairs that sting you when you touch them. The nettles stung their legs. N-COUNT 2. If you are nettled by something, you are annoyed or offended by it. He was nettled by her manner... It was the suggestion that he might alter course to win an election that really nettled him. VERB: be V-ed, V n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Heb. haral, "pricking" or "burning," Prov. 24:30, 31 (R.V. marg., "wild vetches"); Job 30:7; Zeph. 2:9. Many have supposed that some thorny or prickly plant is intended by this word, such as the bramble, the thistle, the wild plum, the cactus or prickly pear, etc. It may probably be a species of mustard, the Sinapis arvensis, which is a pernicious weed abounding in corn-fields. Tristram thinks that this word "designates the prickly acanthus (Acanthus spinosus), a very common and troublesome weed in the plains of Palestine."

(2.) Heb. qimmosh, Isa. 34:13; Hos. 9:6; Prov. 24:31 (in both versions, "thorns"). This word has been regarded as denoting thorns, thistles, wild camomile; but probably it is correctly rendered "nettle," the Urtica pilulifera, "a tall and vigorous plant, often 6 feet high, the sting of which is much more severe and irritating than that of our common nettle."

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Fret, chafe, ruffle, irritate, vex, tease, harass, provoke, incense, exasperate, sting.

Moby Thesaurus

aggravate, agitate, annoy, arouse, badger, bait, be at, bedevil, beset, blow the coals, bother, bramble, brier, bristle, brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn up, burr, cactus, catchweed, chafe, chivy, cleavers, devil, discompose, distemper, disturb, dog, embitter, exasperate, excite, exercise, fan, fan the flame, fash, feed the fire, ferment, fire, foment, fret, get, goose grass, gripe, harass, harry, heat, heat up, heckle, hector, hound, huff, impassion, incense, incite, inflame, instigate, irk, irritate, miff, molest, nag, needle, nudzh, peeve, persecute, perturb, pester, pick on, pine needle, pique, plague, plaque, pluck the beard, pother, prickle, provoke, put out, put up to, quill, rally, rankle, ride, rile, roil, ruffle, set on, set up, sic on, spicule, spiculum, spike, spikelet, spine, sticker, stir the blood, stir the embers, stir up, tease, thistle, thorn, tickle, torment, try the patience, tweak the nose, upset, vex, whet, whip up, work up, worry, yucca