bristle
Use Bristle in a sentence
əl noun
1.
one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.
2.
anything resembling these hairs.
verb (used without object)
3.
to stand or rise stiffly, like bristles.
4.
to erect the bristles, as an irritated animal (often followed by up ): The hog bristled up.
5.
to become rigid with anger or irritation: The man bristled when I asked him to move.
6.
to be thickly set or filled with something suggestive of bristles: The plain bristled with bayonets. The project bristled with difficulties.
7.
to be visibly roused or stirred (usually followed by up ).
00:10
Bristle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
verb (used with object)
8.
to erect like bristles: The rooster bristled his crest.
9.
to furnish with a bristle or bristles.
10.
to make bristly.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English bristel, equivalent to brist (Old English byrst bristle, cognate with German Borste, Old Norse burst) + -el diminutive suffix
before 1000; Middle English bristel, equivalent to brist (Old English byrst bristle, cognate with German Borste, Old Norse burst) + -el diminutive suffix
Related forms
bris·tle·less, adjective
bris·tle·like, adjective
non·bris·tled, adjective
un·bris·tled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To bristle
Collins
World English Dictionary
bristle (ˈbrɪsəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any short stiff hair of an animal or plant |
| 2. | something resembling these hair: toothbrush bristle |
| —vb (when intr | |
| 3. | to stand up or cause to stand up like bristles: the angry cat's fur bristled |
| 4. | to show anger, indignation, etc: she bristled at the suggestion |
| 5. | (intr) to be thickly covered or set: the target bristled with arrows |
| 6. | (intr) to be in a state of agitation or movement: the office was bristling with activity |
| 7. | (tr) to provide with a bristle or bristles |
| [C13 bristil, brustel, from earlier brust, from Old English byrst; related to Old Norse burst, Old High German borst] | |
| 'bristly | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bristle
O.E. byrst "bristle," with metathesis of -r-, from P.Gmc. *bors- (cf. M.Du. borstel, Ger. borste), from PIE *bhrsti- from base *bhar- "point, bristle" (cf. Skt. bhrstih "point, spike"). With -el, dim. suffix. The verb "become angry or excited" is 1540s, from the way animals show fight. Related: Bristled;
bristling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
In this clothe yourself so that your hair may keep still and not bristle and stand upon end all over your body.
Your shelf will bristle with trees and strolling elephants.
Many virtual hunters even bristle at the idea that they're playing a game at all.
Some scientists might bristle at that business model.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
