bristle

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bristle^¹

/ˈbɹɪsəl/
/ˈbɹʌsəl/
/ˈbɹɪstəl/

Rhymes with -ɪsəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English bristil, bristel, brustel, from Old English bristl, byrst, *brystl, *byrstel, from Proto-West Germanic *burstilu, diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (compare Dutch borstel, German Borste (“boar's bristle”), Icelandic burst), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥stís (compare Middle Irish brostaid (“to goad, spur”), Latin fastīgium (“top”), Polish barszcz (“hogweed”)).

noun bristles

A stiff or coarse hair on a nonhuman mammal or on a plant. the bristles of a pig
A chaeta: an analogous filament on arthropods, annelids, or other animals.
The hairs or other filaments that make up a brush, broom, or similar item, typically made from plant cellulose, animal hairs, or synthetic polymers.

verb bristles · bristling · bristled

intransitive To rise or stand erect, like bristles. His hair began to bristle with anger when the subject was mentioned.
intransitive, usually, with with To abound, to be covered with, or to have an abundance of, something, especially something jutting out. the hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten thousand bayonets
intransitive, usually, with at or with To be on one's guard or raise one's defenses; to react with fear, suspicion, or distance. The employees bristled at the prospect of working through the holidays.
archaic, obsolete, transitive To make (something) rise or stand erect, like bristles. The lion is let looſe inthe night, and the Earle hauing a night-gowne caſt ouer his ſhirt, with his girdle and ſword, and ſo comming downe the ſtaires into the court, meeteth with the lion briſtling his haire, and roaring.
transitive, uncommon To cause (someone) to be on one's guard or raise one's defenses. Your blatant attitude always bristles me.
rare To fix a bristle or bristles to. to bristle a thread

Bristle^²

/ˈbɹɪs.ɫ/

proper noun

humorous, slang Bristol, England (in imitation of the local dialect) Correct Way to Speak Bristol.

Translations

Every language

noun stiff or coarse hair

Español	cerda, ceda, seta, seda, crin, crines
Português	cerda
Français	soie
Deutsch	Borste
Italiano	pelo ispido, barba corta ispida
Русский	щети́на ščetína

noun hair or straw of a brush, broom etc.

Español	cerda, cerdamen
Português	cerda
Français	poil
Deutsch	Borste
Italiano	setola, setole
Русский	щети́на ščetína, ворс vors

verb to be on one's guard

Español	ponerse a la defensiva
Deutsch	sträuben

verb to rise or stand erect, like bristle

Español	erizarse, horripilarse
Português	eriçar
Français	se hérisser
Deutsch	sträuben
Русский	щети́ниться ščetínitʹsja, ощети́ниваться oščetínivatʹsja, ощети́ниться oščetínitʹsja, топо́рщиться topórščitʹsja

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MLA

"bristle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bristle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bristle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bristle

Chicago

"bristle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bristle.

BibTeX

@misc{bristle_2026,
  title = {bristle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bristle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}