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⇱ nettle - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

nettle

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈnɛtəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈnɛtəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(net′l)

Inflections of 'nettle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
nettles
v 3rd person singular
nettling
v pres p
nettled
v past
nettled
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
net•tle /ˈnɛtəl/USA pronunciation   n., v., -tled, -tling. 
n. [countable]
  1. Plant Biologya plant covered with stinging hairs.

v. [~ + object]
  1. to irritate;
    annoy:nettled by the criticisms.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
net•tle  (net′l),USA pronunciation n., v., -tled, -tling. 
n. 
  1. Plant Biologyany plant of the genus Urtica, covered with stinging hairs. Cf. nettle family. 
  2. Plant Biologyany of various allied or similar plants.
  3. British Terms grasp the nettle, [Australian.]to undertake or tackle an unpleasant task.

v.t. 
  1. to irritate, annoy, or provoke.
  2. to sting as a nettle does.
  • bef. 900; Middle English; Old English netele (noun, nominal); cognate with Dutch netel, German Nessel, Norwegian netla
net′tle•like′, adj. 
net′tler, n. 
net′tly, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nettle /ˈnɛtəl/ n
  1. any weedy plant of the temperate urticaceous genus Urtica, such as U. dioica (stinging nettle), having serrated leaves with stinging hairs and greenish flowers
  2. any of various other urticaceous plants with stinging hairs or spines
  3. any of various plants that resemble urticaceous nettles, such as the dead-nettle, hemp nettle, and horse nettle
  4. grasp the nettle ⇒ to attempt or approach something with boldness and courage
 vb (transitive)
  1. to bother; irritate
  2. to sting as a nettle does
Etymology: Old English netele; related to Old High German nazza (German Nessel)
'nettle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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