Word of the Day

: May 30, 2021

nettle

verb NET-ul

What It Means

1 : to strike or sting with or as if with nettles

2 : to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger

nettle in Context

You could tell by his nervous reaction that the town official was nettled by the reporter's probing questions.

"Agent Cooper … will be back in the weird little hamlet of Twin Peaks, Washington, a quarter-century after the original ABC series aired. He will presumably be investigating one or more fresh crimes that stir eerie echoes of a mystery that, way back when, nettled the nation: 'Who killed Laura Palmer?'" — The Dallas Morning News, 17 May 2017

Did You Know?

If you've ever brushed against nettles, you know those weeds have sharp bristles that can leave you smarting and itching. The painful and irritating rash that nettles cause can last for days, but at least it is a rash with a linguistic silver lining. The discomfort caused by nettles can serve to remind one that the verb nettle is a synonym of irritate. Nettle originated as a plant name that we can trace to the Old English word netel. Eventually, people likened the nagging itch caused by the plant to the nagging aggravation of being annoyed, and nettle became a synonym of vex, peeve, and of course irritate.