Link Centre Dictionary

nettle

UK/ˈnɛtəl/ US/ˈnɛɾəɫ/ rare
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

any of numerous plants having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation on contact (especially of the genus Urtica or family Urticaceae)

verb

1.

sting with or as with nettles and cause a stinging pain or sensation

Synonyms
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”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English netle, netel, from Old English netle, netele, netel, from Proto-West Germanic *natilā (cognate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern Dutch netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nædlæ (“nettle”)), a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *natǭ (of unknown origin, perhaps from the same source as net).

Phrases

  • devil's nettle
  • dwarf nettle
  • European nettle tree
  • fen nettle
  • grasp the nettle
  • hemp nettle
  • nettle agent
  • nettle cloth

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.