hackle
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hackle
- /ˈhækəl/
- [ˈhækəl] ~ [ˈhækl̩]
Rhymes with -ækəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English hakle (compare the compound meshakele), from Old English hæcla, hacele, from Proto-Germanic *hakulǭ, equivalent to hack + -le. Cognate with Dutch hekel, German Hechel.
noun hackles
- An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp.
- One of the long, narrow feathers on the neck of birds, most noticeable on the rooster.
- A feather used to make a fishing lure or a fishing lure incorporating a feather.
- By extension (because the hackles of a rooster are lifted when it is angry), the hair on the nape of the neck in dogs and other animals; also used figuratively for humans. When the dog got angry, his hackles rose and he growled.
- A type of jagged crack extending inwards from the broken surface of a fractured material.
- A plate with rows of pointed needles used to blend or straighten hair.
- A feather plume on some soldier's uniforms, especially the hat or helmet.
- Any flimsy substance unspun, such as raw silk.
- Pluck; courage or energy. "COME ALONG YE GRASS-COMBERS, SHOW some hackle," David Ingram, striding ahead, turned back and called.
verb hackles · hackling · hackled
- To dress (flax or hemp) with a hackle; to prepare fibres of flax or hemp for spinning. Then, with a smile that seemed to have all the freshness of the matutinal hour in it, she bent again to her work of hackling flax.
- To separate, as the coarse part of flax or hemp from the fine, by drawing it through the teeth of a hackle or hatchel.
- To tear asunder; to break into pieces. the other divisions of the kingdom being hackled and torn to pieces
Translations
Every language
noun instrument with pins
| Español | rastrillo |
|---|---|
| Português | ripanço, ripador |
| Français | séran |
| Deutsch | Hechel |
| Italiano | diliscatoio |
| Română | darac |
| Русский | чесалка česalka |
noun feather on the neck of bird
| العربية | قَوْزَعَة qawzaʕa |
|---|
noun hair on the nape of the neck of animals
| Русский | хо́лка xólka |
|---|
verb dress flax or hemp
| Deutsch | hecheln |
|---|
Talk about this word "hackle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hackle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hackle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hackle "hackle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hackle.Cite this
@misc{hackle_2026,
title = {hackle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hackle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
