nettle
/ˈnetl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnetl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈne-tᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈnet.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnet̬.əl/ (ame, ipa)
nettle — noun
- nettlesingular
- nettlesplural
1. a common wild plant whose jagged leaves are lined with fine hairs, so brushing a
a common wild plant whose jagged leaves are lined with fine hairs, so brushing against it makes the skin burn and prickle
Lakshmi brushed past a nettle and felt her ankle burn at once.
brush past a nettle / skin reaction
The path behind the shed was thick with nettles by late summer.
Yara wore gloves before pulling the nettles from the edge of the pond.
Ada cooked young nettle leaves into soup after washing them carefully.
- stinging nettle
the fuller everyday name, especially when you want to stress the painful hairs
- urtica
the botanical genus name, used in scientific contexts rather than daily speech
用法筆記
Usually countable when talking about one plant or a patch of plants. In practical contexts, speakers often mention touching, pulling, or cooking nettles rather than naming the species formally.
常見錯誤
nettle — verb
- nettlepresent simple I / you / we / they
- nettles3rd person singular
- nettling-ing form
- nettledpast simple
1. to make someone feel suddenly annoyed, especially because of a slight, a delay,
to make someone feel suddenly annoyed, especially because of a slight, a delay, or an unfair remark
Elise was nettled by the clerk's rude laugh when asking for help.
passive: be nettled by + action
Joao felt nettled that his idea was ignored during the budget meeting.
feel nettled that-clause
Ari's teasing smile nettled Gabriel long after the dinner had ended.
The unfair comment about Jabari's accent nettled everyone at the table.
文法句型
nettle + object
be nettled by + noun phrase
feel nettled that-clause
用法筆記
Often appears in the passive or after feel. It usually refers to prickly annoyance caused by a slight, a smug attitude, or being treated unfairly, not to full open rage.
常見錯誤
2. to make a person's skin feel a sharp prickly pain, as if it had brushed against
to make a person's skin feel a sharp prickly pain, as if it had brushed against stinging hairs
The rough wool scarf nettled Olivia's neck during the windy ferry ride.
something nettles + body part
Sea spray nettled Hui's cracked lips as the boat hit the waves.
Dry grass nettled James's bare ankles on the walk back from the beach.
The damp bandage nettled Imani's skin until the nurse changed it.
- soothe
to reduce or calm a painful skin sensation
文法句型
nettle + object
something nettles + body part
用法筆記
This sense is literary and much less common than the emotional sense. The subject is usually cloth, grass, salt, or spray, and the object is the skin or a body part that feels the prickling pain.