Prick vs Nettle - What's the difference?

Prick is a related term of nettle.

As nouns the difference between prick and nettle

is that prick is a small hole or perforation, caused by piercing while nettle is any plant, the foliage of which is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.

As verbs the difference between prick and nettle

is that prick is to pierce or puncture slightly while nettle is (literally) of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting causing a rash in someone.

prick

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) prik, prikke, from (etyl) prica, . Pejorative context came from prickers, or witch-hunters.

Noun

(en noun)

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

Pins, wooden pricks , nails, sprigs of rosemary.

* Bible, Acts ix. 5

It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks .

The experience or feeling of being pierced or punctured by a small, sharp object.

I felt a sharp prick as the nurse took a sample of blood.

* A. Tucker

the pricks of conscience

(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

the prick of noon

(obsolete) The point on a target at which an archer aims; the mark; the pin.

* Spenser

they that shooten nearest the prick

Derived terms

* pricker * prickle * prickly * pricktease * prickteaser

Etymology 2

From (etyl) .

Verb

(en verb)

To pierce or puncture slightly.

John hardly felt the needle prick his arm when the adept nurse drew blood.

To form by piercing or puncturing.

to prick holes in paper

to prick a pattern for embroidery

to prick the notes of a musical composition

(Cowper)

(dated) To be punctured; to suffer or feel a sharp pain, as by puncture.

A sore finger pricks .

To incite, stimulate, goad.

* (rfdate), (Shakespeare), (Two Gentlemen of Verona) , ii. 7.

My duty pricks me on to utter that.

To affect with sharp pain; to sting, as with remorse.

* Bible, Acts ii. 37

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.

* Tennyson

I was pricked with some reproof.

(archaic) To urge one's horse on; to ride quickly.

(Milton)

* 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , III.1:

At last, as through an open plaine they yode, / They spide a knight that towards them pricked fayre [...].

* 1881 , :

Indeed, it is a memorable subject for consideration, with what unconcern and gaiety mankind pricks on along the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

(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.

(Hudibras)

To become sharp or acid; to turn sour, as wine.

To aim at a point or mark.

(Hawkins)

To fix by the point; to attach or hang by puncturing.

to prick a knife into a board

* Sandys

The cooks prick it [a slice] on a prong of iron.

(Isaac Newton)

(obsolete) To mark or denote by a puncture; to designate by pricking; to choose; to mark.

* Francis Bacon

Some who are pricked for sheriffs.

* Sir Walter Scott

Let the soldiers for duty be carefully pricked off.

* Shakespeare

Those many, then, shall die: their names are pricked .

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

The courser pricks up his ears.

(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)

nettle

English

(wikipedia nettle) (Urtica)

Noun

(en noun)

Any plant, the foliage of which is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.

# Especially, most species of herb genus Urtica , the stinging nettles:

## Most, but not all, subspecies of ,

## ;

# Wood nettle ();

# (vern)s and (spurge nettle)s of genus :

## , (bull nettle), (spurge nettle),

## , (Texas bull nettle),

## , (bull nettle),

## (vern) or (tree nettle)s:

### Various species of the genus ,

### ,

### ;

# (rock nettle) ();

# (small-leaved nettle) ().

Certain plants that have spines or prickles:

# (ball nettle) ();

# , (bull nettle), (silver-leaf nettle), (white horse-nettle);

# , (western horse-nettle), (robust horse-nettle);

# , (horse-nettle);

# Celtis .

Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the same family (Lamiaceae as the stinging nettles, that resemble the species of Urtica :

# (dead nettle), (dumb nettle) (Lamium ), particularly , (white nettle);

# (false nettle) ();

# (flame nettle) or (painted nettle) (Coleus );

# (hedge nettle) (Stachys );

# (hemp nettle) ();

# (horse nettle)s:

## ,

## , (ball-nettle), (Carolina horse-nettle),

## , (bull nettle), (silver-leaf nettle), (white horse-nettle);

# (nilgiri nettle), (Himalayan giant nettle) ().

Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

Derived terms

* grasp the nettle * nettle rash * nettlelike * nettlesome * nettly

Verb

(nettl) (transitive)

(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.

Anagrams

* *