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# prickle

«prickle» in Mova's school dictionary: **A small sharp point on a plant or animal, like on a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a prickle, prickles); verb (prickle, prickles, prickled, prickling)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A small sharp point on a plant or animal, like on a hedgehog, holly leaf or bramble. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#m1)

2) A tingling or stinging feeling on your skin. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#m2)

3) (verb) To give a stinging, tingling feeling: «The wool prickled my neck.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#m3)

4) (verb) When your skin or the back of your neck prickles, you feel fear or excitement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science, prickles and spines protect plants and animals: a hedgehog rolls up and shows its prickles. In stories, «the hairs on the back of her neck prickled» tells the reader the character senses danger. Phrases: «a prickle of fear», «prickle with tears» (eyes stinging before crying).

### examples

- The hedgehog's prickles kept the fox away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x1)
- My new jumper prickles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x2)
- I felt a prickle of fear when the door creaked. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x3)
- Watch out for the prickles on the rose stem. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x4)
- Her eyes prickled with tears. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x5)
- Mole felt the back of his neck prickle in the Wild Wood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x6)
- Holly leaves have prickles on their edges. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x7)
- But one of the tree’s prickles pierced his finger and caused great pain and inflammation, so that the young Prince fell down in a fainting fit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/#x8)

### note

Prickly is the adjective: «a prickly cactus», «a prickly person» (easily annoyed). Strictly, botanists say prickles grow on the skin of a stem (rose), while thorns and spines are changed branches or leaves, but in everyday talk they are mixed.

### In the corpora

- [His paw fills with prickles, and Hedgehog flies off into the dark bushes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/82-justso-armadillos-1-painted-jaguar/6/)
- [Hedgehog says «scales are a tremendous improvement on prickles».](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/83-justso-armadillos-2-the-first-armadillo/21/)
- [Jaguar tells his Mother that the two «have gone shares in their prickles», because both are scaly all over.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/83-justso-armadillos-2-the-first-armadillo/24/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «prickle» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prickle/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.