NEEDLE

needle

(noun) a sharp pointed implement (usually steel)

needle

(noun) a slender pointer for indicating the reading on the scale of a measuring instrument

needle, goad

(verb) annoy or provoke, as by constant criticism; “He needled her with his sarcastic remarks”

needle

(verb) prick with a needle

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

needle (plural needles)

A fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, etc.

Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.

A fine measurement indicator on a dial or graph, e.g. a compass needle.

A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.

A needle-like leaf found on some conifers.

A strong beam resting on props, used as a temporary support during building repairs.

(informal, usually preceded by the) The death penalty carried out by lethal injection.

(programming, PHP) A text string that is searched for within another string.

Verb

needle (third-person singular simple present needles, present participle needling, simple past and past participle needled)

To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.

(transitive) To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.

(ambitransitive) To form, or be formed, in the shape of a needle.

Synonyms

• (to tease): goad, tease

Anagrams

• Edelen, ledene, lendee

Proper noun

Needle (plural Needles)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Needle is the 30889th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 753 individuals. Needle is most common among White (94.29%) individuals.

Anagrams

• Edelen, ledene, lendee

Source: Wiktionary


Nee"dle, n. Etym: [OE. nedle, AS. n; akin to D. neald, OS. nadla, G. nadel, OHG. nadal, nadala, Icel. nal, Sw. nål, Dan. naal, and also to G. nähen to sew, OHG. najan, L. nere to spin, Gr. snare: cf. Gael. & Ir. snathad needle, Gael. snath thread, G. schnur string, cord.]

1. A small instrument of steel, sharply pointed at one end, with an eye to receive a thread, -- used in sewing. Chaucer.

Note: In some needles(as for sewing machines) the eye is at the pointed end, but in ordinary needles it is at the blunt end.

2. See Magnetic needle, under Magnetic.

3. A slender rod or wire used in knitting; a knitting needle; also, a hooked instrument which carries the thread or twine, and by means of which knots or loops are formed in the process of netting, knitting, or crocheting.

4. (Bot.)

Definition: One of the needle-shaped secondary leaves of pine trees. See Pinus.

5. Any slender, pointed object, like a needle, as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc. Dipping needle. See under Dipping.

– Needle bar, the reciprocating bar to which the needle of a sewing machine is attached.

– Needle beam (Arch.), to shoring, the horizontal cross timber which goes through the wall or a pier, and upon which the weight of the wall rests, when a building is shored up to allow of alterations in the lower part.

– Needle furze (Bot.), a prickly leguminous plant of Western Europe; the petty whin (Genista Anglica).

– Needle gun, a firearm loaded at the breech with a cartridge carrying its own fulminate, which is exploded by driving a slender needle, or pin, into it.

– Needle loom (Weaving), a loom in which the weft thread is carried through the shed by a long eye-pointed needle instead of by a shuttle.

– Needle ore (Min.), acicular bismuth; a sulphide of bismuth, lead, and copper occuring in acicular crystals; -- called also aikinite.

– Needle shell (Zoöl.), a sea urchin.

– Needle spar (Min.), aragonite.

– Needle telegraph, a telegraph in which the signals are given by the deflections of a magnetic needle to the right or to the left of a certain position.

– Sea needle (Zoöl.), the garfish.

Nee"dle, v. t.

Definition: To form in the shape of a needle; as, to needle crystals.

Nee"dle, v. i.

Definition: To form needles; to crystallize in the form of needles.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 December 2024

UNAMBIGUOUS

(adjective) having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning; “As a horror, apartheid...is absolutely unambiguous”- Mario Vargas Llosa


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Coffee Trivia

Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free. Studies from the National Institute of Health (US) have shown that virtually all decaf coffee types contain caffeine. A 236-ml (8-oz) cup of decaf coffee contains up to 7 mg of caffeine, whereas a regular cup provided 70-140 mg.

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