nettle Hear it!

nettle Definition

net·tle (net'l)

noun

  1. any of a genus (Urtica) of annual and perennial weeds of the nettle family with stinging hairs
  2. any of various other stinging or spiny plants

Etymology: ME netle < OE netele, akin to Ger nessel < IE base *ned-, to twist together > net: from the use of such plants as a source of spinning fiber

adjective

designating a family (Urticaceae, order Urticales) of chiefly tropical, dicotyledonous plants usually covered with stinging hairs, including the ramie

transitive verb -·tled, -·tling

  1. to sting with or as with nettles
  2. to irritate; annoy; vex

nettle Related Forms
net·tler noun
nettle Synonyms

nettle

v.

annoy, pester, irritate; see bother 3, disturb 2, insult. See syn. study at irritate.

nettle Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • reform: It is time to grasp fully the nettle of reform.

Converse of subject

  • sting: Joe needs some new trousers, tho, he was wearing shorts and got stung by nettles!

Converse of object

  • grasp: Nowhere in the country has been faster to grasp the biotech nettle than Dundee.
  • dry: The dried nettles may well benefit from being left for a while in a mixture of cream and nettle water.
  • eat: My advice is to go eat a nettle raw or something, it'll be more interesting.
  • include: You just need brightly colored flowers, with a good mix between cultivated and wild flowers, including nettles and thistles.
  • use: CAUTION: Do not use flowering nettle for food or medicine.
  • sting: Along here we feasted on blackberries, Tammy on the lower ones, whilst the nettles stung our legs reaching the high branches!

Adjective modifier

  • stinging: I'd much prefer fresh stinging nettles any day!
  • tall: Then, with a deft swing he sent him crashing into a clump of tall nettles, which closed receptively round him.
  • dead: Who hasn't sucked the nectar from the flower of the dead nettle?
  • common: The regular trampling of cattle can wipe out common nettle.
  • young: Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with jacket potatoes and steamed young stinging nettles.
  • particular: If the Tories do not grasp this particular nettle then they will slide into oblivion like The Whigs before them.

Modifies a noun

  • rash: She has a kind of nettle rash on her back.
  • sting: The beginner can rest assured, however that the fear of nettle stings is always far worse than the actual sting.
  • infusion: Stinging nettle infusion replaces the nutrients and proteins that Kundalini uses up.
  • soup: I seem to remember an attempt at nettle soup was a failure to be polite!
  • leaf: The larvae usually spin a web on the upper surface of the nettle leaf which draws the leaf into a folded shelter.
  • patch: Garden nettle patch survey Have you got your own nettle patch?