prickly lettuce prick·ly·let·tuce uncommon noun 1. European annual wild lettuce having prickly stems; a troublesome weed in parts of United States Synonymsprickly lettucehorse thistleLactuca serriolaLactuca scariola Related words Broader terms compass plant WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.