nettle

net·tle

Use nettle in a sentence

The stinging nettle plant.

noun

The definition of a nettle is a tall weed that has pointy hairs on the leaves and stems.
An example of a nettle is a stinging nettle.

verb

Nettle is defined as to sting, poke or annoy.
An example of to nettle is to continuously poke someone with a stick.

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"Nettle." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Nettle.

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Nettle. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Nettle

nettle

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

Origin of nettle

Middle English netle from Old English netele, akin to German nessel from Indo-European base an unverified form ned-, to twist together from source net: from the use of such plants as a source of spinning fiber

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

transitive verb

-·tled, -·tling

to sting with or as with nettles
to irritate; annoy; vex

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Nettle." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Nettle.

APA Style

Nettle. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Nettle

nettle

noun

Any of various plants of the genus Urtica, having toothed leaves, unisexual apetalous flowers, and stinging hairs that cause skin irritation on contact.
Any of various hairy, stinging, or prickly plants.

transitive verb

net·tled, net·tling, net·tles

To sting with or as if with a nettle.
To irritate; vex.

Origin of nettle

Middle English from Old English netele ; see ned- in Indo-European roots.

nettle

stinging nettle

Urtica dioica

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Nettle." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Nettle.

APA Style

Nettle. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Nettle

Noun

(plural nettles)

A herb of the genus Urtica, which is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
The non-stinging plant deadnettle, in the mint family, Lamiaceae.
Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea-nettle.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present nettles, present participle nettling, simple past and past participle nettled)

(literally) Of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting causing a rash in someone.
The children were badly nettled after playing in the field.
(figuratively) To pique, irritate, vex or provoke someone.

Origin

From Middle English, from Old English netle, netele, netel from Proto-Germanic *natilÇ (cogate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nÃ¦dlÃ¦ "nettle"), a diminutive of *naton (of unknown origin, perhaps from the same source as net).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.