needle
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needle¹
- /ˈniː.dəl/
- [ˈnɪi̯.dəl] ~ [ˈnɪi̯.dl̩]
Rhymes with -iːdəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl, from Proto-West Germanic *nāþlu, from Proto-Germanic *nēþlō, from pre-Germanic *neh₁-tleh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- (“to spin, twist”).
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Näddele (“sewing needle”), Dutch naald (“needle”), German Nadel (“needle, pin, crochet hook”), nähen (“sew”), Luxembourgish Nol (“needle”), Vilamovian nöłd (“needle”), Yiddish נאָדל (nodl, “needle, pin”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish nål (“needle”), Elfdalian ną̊l (“needle”), Faroese, Icelandic nál (“needle”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐌸𐌻𐌰 (nēþla, “sewing needle”), Finnish neula (“needle”). Further related with Welsh nyddu, Latin nēre, Sanskrit स्नायति (snāyati, “wraps up, winds”). Related to snood.
noun needles
-
A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing as in sewing, embroidery, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections, sutures, etc; or a blunt but otherwise similar implement used for forming loops or knots in crafts such as darning, knitting, tatting, etc.
The seamstress threaded the needle to sew on a button.
Similar: neele
- Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.
- A fine measurement indicator on a dial or graph. a compass needle
- A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus. Ziggy bought some diamond needles for his hi-fi phonograph.
- A needle-like leaf found on some conifers. At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth.
- A strong beam resting on props, used as a temporary support during building repairs.
- The death penalty carried out by lethal injection.
- A text string that is searched for within another string. (see: needle in a haystack) Both of these functions will look through the haystack for the specified needle and, if they find it, will return the portion of the string from the beginning of the needle to the end of the haystack.
- Any of various species of damselfly of the genus Synlestes, endemic to Australia.
- A move in which the performer begins with two hands and one leg on the floor, then kicks the other leg into a full split.
verb needles · needling · needled
- To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture. […]the eyes were once more beginning to show the old nystagmus; so I decided to needle the cataracts, and on Jan. 31 I needled the right eye.
- To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at. Billy needled his sister incessantly about her pimples.
- To form, or be formed, in the shape of a needle. to needle crystals
Needle²
Where it comes from
* As an English surname, from the noun needle. Compare Nadler.
* As a Jewish surname, translation of the surname Nadel, itself meaning needle.
proper noun Needles · Needell
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: goad, nettle, acerate leaf, phonograph needle, needlework, pin, stocking, sheath, girdle, pen, pointer, prod, sweep, obelisk, filament, stylus
Translations
Every language
noun indicating device
| Español | saeta, saetilla, aguja |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | सुई suī |
| Kiswahili | sindano |
| Português | agulha, ponteiro |
| Français | aiguille |
| Deutsch | Nadel |
| Italiano | lancetta |
| Ελληνικά | βελόνα velóna |
| Română | ac |
| Русский | стре́лка strélka |
| עברית | מַחַט mákhat |
noun implement for sewing etc.
| Español | aguja, yawri, yauri |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 바늘 baneul |
| 日本語 | 針 hari |
| 中文 | 針 /针 zhēn |
| हिन्दी | सुई suī |
| Kiswahili | sindano |
| Português | agulha |
| Français | aiguille |
| Deutsch | Nadel |
| Italiano | ago |
| Ελληνικά | βελόνα velóna |
| Română | ac, andrea, undrea |
| Русский | игла́ iglá, иго́лка igólka, спи́ца spíca |
| Tiếng Việt | kim |
| العربية | إِبْرَة ʔibra, مِخْيَط miḵyaṭ |
| עברית | מַחַט mákhat |
noun sensor phonograph stylus
| हिन्दी | सुई suī |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | sindano |
| Português | agulha |
| Français | saphir |
| Deutsch | Nadel |
| Italiano | puntina |
| Ελληνικά | βελόνα velóna |
| Română | ac |
| Русский | игла́ iglá |
| עברית | מַחַט máhat |
noun leaf of conifer
| Español | acícula, aguja |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 針葉 shin'yō |
| Kiswahili | sindano |
| Português | agulha |
| Français | aiguille |
| Deutsch | Nadel |
| Italiano | ago |
| Ελληνικά | πευκοβελόνα pefkovelóna |
| Română | ac |
| Русский | игла́ iglá, иго́лка igólka, хвои́нка xvoínka, хво́я xvója |
| עברית | מַחַט máhat |
verb to tease in order to provoke
| Kiswahili | sindano |
|---|---|
| Français | taquiner, monter qqn, asticoter |
| Deutsch | hänseln |
| Italiano | punzecchiare |
| Ελληνικά | βουρλίζω vourlízo, διαολίζω diaolízo |
Talk about this word "needle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/needle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. needle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/needle "needle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/needle.Cite this
@misc{needle_2026,
title = {needle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/needle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
