English Explanatory Dictionary

bristle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A stiff or coarse hair on a nonhuman mammal or on a plant.
  2. A chaeta: an analogous filament on arthropods, annelids, or other animals.
  3. The hairs or other filaments that make up a brush, broom, or similar item, typically made from plant cellulose, animal hairs, or synthetic polymers.
verb
  1. To rise or stand erect, like bristles.
  2. To abound, to be covered with, or to have an abundance of, something, especially something jutting out.
  3. To be on one's guard or raise one's defenses; to react with fear, suspicion, or distance.
  4. To make (something) rise or stand erect, like bristles.
  5. To cause (someone) to be on one's guard or raise one's defenses.
  6. To fix a bristle or bristles to.
name
  1. Bristol, England (in imitation of the local dialect)

Pronunciation

/ˈbɹɪsəl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-bristle.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-bristle.wav /ˈbɹʌsəl/ /ˈbɹɪstəl/ /ˈbɹɪs.ɫ/ En-au-Bristle.ogg

Word forms

bristle bristles bristling bristled

Etymology

From Middle English bristil, bristel, brustel, from Old English bristl, byrst, *brystl, *byrstel, from Proto-West Germanic *burstilu, diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (compare Dutch borstel, German Borste (“boar's bristle”), Icelandic burst), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥stís (compare Middle Irish brostaid (“to goad, spur”), Latin fastīgium (“top”), Polish barszcz (“hogweed”)).

Derived words

abristle basal bristle bristlebill bristlebird bristlebot bristle brush bristlecone bristlefront bristlegrass bristlehead bristleless bristlelike bristle moss bristlemouth bristler bristle snail bristlet bristle-tail bristletail bristleworm bristle worm bristly nanobristle rebristle yellow bristle grass bristle up bristling

Translations

Czech: naježit se Dutch: recht overeind staan Dutch: stekelig reageren Polish: jeżyć się Polish: zjeżyć się Spanish: ponerse a la defensiva Swedish: resa Swedish: stå på ända Swedish: resa ragg Swedish: lystra Swedish: skjuta rygg
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