Pin vs Prick - What's the difference?
pin | prick |
A small device, made (usually) of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening.
* Milton
A small nail with a head and a sharp point.
A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts.
A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling.
(in plural'' pins ; ''informal ) A leg.
(electricity) Any of the individual connecting elements of a multipole electrical connector.
A piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin.
(US) A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc.
(chess) A scenario in which moving a lesser piece to escape from attack would expose a more valuable piece to attack.
(curling) The spot at the exact centre of the house (the target area)
* Shakespeare
(dated) A mood, a state of being.
* Cowper
One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each person should drink.
(medicine, obsolete) caligo
A thing of small value; a trifle.
* Spectator
A peg in musical instruments for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings.
(engineering) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal.
The tenon of a dovetail joint.
(often followed by a preposition such as'' to''' ''or'' ' on ) To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.
(chess, usually, in the passive) To cause (a piece) to be in a pin.
(wrestling) To pin down (someone).
To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.
(computing, GUI) To attach (an icon, application, etc.) to another item.
A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.
An indentation or small mark made with a pointed object.
(obsolete) A dot or other diacritical mark used in writing; a point.
(obsolete) A tiny particle; a small amount of something; a jot.
A small pointed object.
* Shakespeare
* Bible, Acts ix. 5
The experience or feeling of being pierced or punctured by a small, sharp object.
* A. Tucker
(slang, vulgar) The penis.
(slang, pejorative) Someone (especially a man or boy) who is unpleasant, rude or annoying.
(now, historical) A small roll of yarn or tobacco.
The footprint of a hare.
(obsolete) A point or mark on the dial, noting the hour.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) The point on a target at which an archer aims; the mark; the pin.
* Spenser
To pierce or puncture slightly.
To form by piercing or puncturing.
(dated) To be punctured; to suffer or feel a sharp pain, as by puncture.
To incite, stimulate, goad.
* (rfdate), (Shakespeare), (Two Gentlemen of Verona) , ii. 7.
To affect with sharp pain; to sting, as with remorse.
* Bible, Acts ii. 37
* Tennyson
(archaic) To urge one's horse on; to ride quickly.
* 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , III.1:
* 1881 , :
(transitive, chiefly, nautical) To mark the surface of (something) with pricks or dots; especially, to trace a ship’s course on (a chart).
(nautical, obsolete) To run a middle seam through the cloth of a sail. (The Universal Dictionary of the English Language, 1896)
To make acidic or pungent.
To become sharp or acid; to turn sour, as wine.
To aim at a point or mark.
To fix by the point; to attach or hang by puncturing.
* Sandys
(obsolete) To mark or denote by a puncture; to designate by pricking; to choose; to mark.
* Francis Bacon
* Sir Walter Scott
* Shakespeare
To make sharp; to erect into a point; to raise, as something pointed; said especially of the ears of an animal, such as a horse or dog; and usually followed by up .
* Dryden
(obsolete) To dress; to prink; usually with up .
(farriery) To drive a nail into (a horse's foot), so as to cause lameness.
(Webster 1913)
As nouns the difference between pin and prick
is that pin is a small device, made (usually) of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening while prick is a small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.As verbs the difference between pin and prick
is that pin is (often followed by a preposition such as to or on) To fasten or attach (something) with a pin while prick is to pierce or puncture slightly.pin
English
(wikipedia pin)Noun
(en noun)- With pins of adamant / And chains they made all fast.
- Pull the pin out of the grenade before throwing it at the enemy.
- I'm not so good on my pins these days.
- The UK standard connector for domestic mains electricity has three pins .
- The shot landed right on the pin .
- the very pin of his heart cleft
- a merry pin
- (Shakespeare)
- He did not care a pin for her.
Synonyms
* (small nail) nail, tack * (cylinder of wood or metal) peg * (games) skittle * (jewellery fastened with a pin) brooch * (accessory) badgeHyponyms
* (jewellery fastened with a pin) breastpin * (chess) absolute pin, relative pin, partial pinDerived terms
* belaying pin * breastpin * clothespin / clothes pin * drawing pin * gudgeon pin * on a pin * on pins and needles * pincushion * pinhead * pinhole * pin money * pinner * pinprick * pins and needles * pintle * pin-up, pinup * rolling pin * safety pinSee also
* needleVerb
- to pin a window to the Taskbar
Derived terms
* pin down * pin in * pin on * pin the tail on the donkey * pin up * underpinprick
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) prik, prikke, from (etyl) prica, . Pejorative context came from prickers, or witch-hunters.Noun
(en noun)- Pins, wooden pricks , nails, sprigs of rosemary.
- It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks .
- I felt a sharp prick as the nurse took a sample of blood.
- the pricks of conscience
- the prick of noon
- they that shooten nearest the prick
Derived terms
* pricker * prickle * prickly * pricktease * prickteaserEtymology 2
From (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- John hardly felt the needle prick his arm when the adept nurse drew blood.
- to prick holes in paper
- to prick a pattern for embroidery
- to prick the notes of a musical composition
- (Cowper)
- A sore finger pricks .
- My duty pricks me on to utter that.
- Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.
- I was pricked with some reproof.
- (Milton)
- At last, as through an open plaine they yode, / They spide a knight that towards them pricked fayre [...].
- Indeed, it is a memorable subject for consideration, with what unconcern and gaiety mankind pricks on along the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
- (Hudibras)
- (Hawkins)
- to prick a knife into a board
- The cooks prick it [a slice] on a prong of iron.
- (Isaac Newton)
- Some who are pricked for sheriffs.
- Let the soldiers for duty be carefully pricked off.
- Those many, then, shall die: their names are pricked .
- The courser pricks up his ears.
