Needle Definition
nēdl
needled, needles, needling
noun
needles
A small, slender piece of steel with a sharp point at one end and a hole for thread at the other, used for sewing by hand or for surgical sutures.
Webster's New World
A similar implement with a hole for thread near the pointed end, used esp. on sewing machines.
Webster's New World
A slender piece of jewel or steel used to transmit vibrations from the grooves of a phonograph record.
American Heritage
A slender, pointed rod of wood, metal, plastic, etc., used in pairs for knitting.
Webster's New World
A pointed instrument used in etching or engraving.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- director
- indicator
- gauge
- acerate leaf
- phonograph needle
- aiguille
- aculeus
- acicula
- stylus
- hypodermic
- probe
- electrolytic needle
- electric needle
- hypodermic-needle
- syringe
verb
needled, needles, needling
To sew, puncture, etc. with a needle.
Webster's New World
To work with a needle; sew.
Webster's New World
To provoke into doing something; goad; prod.
Webster's New World
To form needles in crystallization.
Webster's New World
To tease or heckle.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
idiom
give someone the needle
- to goad or heckle
Webster's New World
on the needle
- addicted to narcotics
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Needle
- give someone the needle
- on the needle
Origin of Needle
-
From Middle English nedle, from Old English nædl, from Proto-Germanic *nēþlō, from pre-Germanic , from Proto-Indo-European *(s)néh₁- "˜to spin, twist' (compare Dutch naaien, Welsh nyddu, Latin nÄ“re, Sanskrit snāyati "˜wraps up, winds'). Related to snood.
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English nedle from Old English nǣdl (s)nē- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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