needle

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See also: Needle

English

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WOTD – 20 September 2009


An assortment of sewing needles
A hypodermic needle and syringe
Needles (botany)

Etymology

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From Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl, from Proto-West Germanic *nāþlu, from Proto-Germanic *nēþlō, from pre-Germanic *neh₁-tleh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- (“to spin, twist”).

Cognates
Cognate with Dutch naald (“needle”), German Nadel (“needle, pin, crochet hook”), German nähen (“sew”), Danish nål (“needle”), Norwegian nål (“needle”), Finnish neula (“needle”). Further related with Welsh nyddu, Latin nēre, Sanskrit स्नायति (snāyati, “wraps up, winds”). Related to snood.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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needle (plural needles)

  1. A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc.
    The seamstress threaded the needle to sew on a button.
    reusable needles
    single-use needles
  2. Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.
  3. A fine measurement indicator on a dial or graph.
    a compass needle
    The needle on the fuel gauge pointed to empty.
    • 2023 November 15, Prof. Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, page 30:
      " […] On the 18th of October, 1841, a very intense magnetic disturbance was recorded, and amongst other curious facts mentioned is that of the detention of the 10:05pm express train at Exeter for 16 minutes, as from the magnetic disturbance affecting the needles so powerfully, it was impossible to ascertain if the line was clear at Starcross. The superintendent at Exeter reported the next morning that someone was playing tricks with the instruments, and would not let them work."
  4. (informal) A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.
    Ziggy bought some diamond needles for his hi-fi phonograph.
  5. A needle-like leaf found on some conifers.
    • 1994, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Hippopotamus:
      At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth.
  6. A strong beam resting on props, used as a temporary support during building repairs.
  7. (informal, usually preceded by the) The death penalty carried out by lethal injection.
  8. (programming) A text string that is searched for within another string. (see: needle in a haystack)
    • 2010, Peter MacIntyre, PHP: The Good Parts, page 39:
      Both of these functions will look through the haystack for the specified needle and, if they find it, will return the portion of the string from the beginning of the needle to the end of the haystack.
  9. (entomology) Any of various species of damselfly of the genus Synlestes, endemic to Australia.

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Further reading

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Verb

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

  1. To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.
    • 1892, H. Lindo Ferguson, “Operation on Microphthamlmic Eyes”, in Ophthalmic Review, volume 11, page 48:
      […] the eyes were once more beginning to show the old nystagmus; so I decided to needle the cataracts, and on Jan. 31 I needled the right eye.
    • 2000, Felix Mann, Reinventing Acupuncture, page 109:
      Possibly the greatest effect is achieved in the hand by needling the thumb, the index finger and the region of the 1st and 2nd metacarpal.
  2. (transitive) To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.
    Synonyms: goad, tease
    Billy needled his sister incessantly about her pimples.
    • 1984, Leopold Caligor, Philip M. Bromberg, James D. Meltzer, Clinical Perspectives on the Supervision of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, page 14:
      FRED: Well, I teased her to some extent, or I needled her, not teased her. I needled her about—first I said that she didn't want to work, and then I think that there were a couple of comments.
    • 2015, Carl Gleba, “Megaverse in Flames”, in Rifts World Book 35:
      To needle Lady Leviathan, Hel has convinced her husband to agree to the heartful offer.
    • 2023 July 12, Dan Sabbagh, “Zelenskiy forced to recalibrate to avert Nato summit falling-out”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
      Significantly, similar language was used by Sullivan, who had been needled by a question from a Ukrainian activist who suggested the US was “afraid of Ukraine winning”.
  3. (transitive, intransitive) To form, or be formed, in the shape of a needle.
    to needle crystals

Translations

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Anagrams

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