prickle en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpɹɪkəl/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
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.
Meanings
-
A sharp and often small point, especially that of a plant; a thorn.
The plants that have prickles are, thorns, black and white, briar, rose, lemon-trees,[…]
1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “VI. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
- A sharp and often small point, especially that of a plant; a thorn. ▸ A sharp, hard extension of the cortex and epidermis of some plants (such as roses), as distinguished from a thorn.
- (figuratively) A tingling sensation of mild discomfort.
- (Ulster, in-plural) Gooseflesh.
-
A kind of willow basket.
If I had but a pottle of Sacke, like a sharp prickle, / To knock my nose against when I am nodding
c. 1623–1624 – 1630s, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, “The Lovers Progres”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act III, scene ii, page 80:The prickle is a brown willow basket, in which walnuts are imported into this country from the Continent; they are about thirty inches deep, and in bulk rather larger than a gallon measure; they are used only by the vendors of walnuts.
1851, Henry Mayhew, “Costermongers”, in London Labour and the London Poor:
- (UK, obsolete) A sieve of hazelnuts, weighing about fifty pounds.
-
(collective) A group of hedgehogs or porcupines.
Our prickle of porcupines has grown
2019 October 17, Rebecca Reid, “Our prickle of porcupines has grown”, in Auckland Zoo, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2026:It may strike some people as odd, a father-daughter gift of a porcupine (and a dead one, at that), but a prickle of porcupines had become quite the pests around his farm, damaging things and gnawing the bark off of many of the trees.
2025 November 16, Anna-Louise Jackson, “Montana Woman Plucks Her Own Quills From Porcupines To Make Unique Jewelry”, in Cowboy State Daily, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2026:That honour belongs to a hairy-footed flower bee, a breeding pair of geese, some dragonfly nymphs, a flock of grey wagtails, a prickle of hedgehogs, an armada of newts, a flutter of spring butterflies and a “very cheeky” fox.
2026 April 18, Donna Ferguson, “A prickle of hedgehogs and an armada of newts: wildlife settles in at London’s new Queen Elizabeth garden”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| prickles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
prickleback · prickly · prickleless · pricklelike · pricklefish · aprickle · prickler · prickle cell · pricklesome · pricklet
Translations (58)
cs brnění (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · mi pūngitangita (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · fi piikki (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · et okas (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cmn 刺 (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · bg шип (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cmn 芒刺 (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · nl dorentje (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cmn 刺痛 (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · ru шип (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cs píchání (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · mi ngita (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · vi gai (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · alt ийнелик (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · pt ferrão (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · de Stachel (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · ro spin (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · ru пока́лывание (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · ka ეკალი (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · pl kolec (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · nds-de Prickel (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cs bodlina (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · gd dealg (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cs mravenčení (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · fi oka (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cs trn (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · nl prikkel (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · sq gjëmb (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · fi pistely (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · bg пробождане (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · ru колотьё (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · nds-de Angel (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cs osten (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · es púa (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · ru колю́чка (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · hi चुभन (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · es espina (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · ga colg (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · mi pūtangitangi (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cs svrbění (A tingling sensation of mild discomfort) · et oga (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · cmn 皮刺 (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · es aguijón (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · gl espiña (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · nds-de Stickel (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · nds-de Steker (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · nl stekel (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · gl espiño (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · gl pico (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · de Dorn (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · ja とげ (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · bg бодил (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · ota ایكنه (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · fr épine (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · sq spirr (gheg) (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · bg трън (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · sq ferrë (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn) · da pig (A small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn)