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nettle

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nettle

  • /ˈnɛtəl/
  • [ˈnɛɾəɫ]

Rhymes with -ɛt(ə)l

Where it comes from

From Middle English netle, netel, from Old English netle, netele, netel, from Proto-West Germanic *natilā (cognate with Old Saxon netila, Middle Dutch netele (modern Dutch netel), German Nessel, Middle Danish nædlæ (“nettle”)), a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *natǭ (of unknown origin, perhaps from the same source as net).

noun nettles

  1. Most, but not all, subspecies of Urtica dioica (common nettle),
  2. Urtica incisa (Australian nettle);
  3. wood nettle (Laportea canadensis);
  4. bull nettle, spurge nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus)
  5. Texas bull nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus),
  6. bull nettle (Cnidoscolus urens),
  7. Various species of the genus Dendrocnide
  8. small-leaved nettle (Dendrocnide photinophylla).
  9. scratchbush (Urera baccifera)
  10. tree nettle (Urtica ferox);
  11. rock nettles (Eucnide spp.);
  12. ball nettle (Solanum carolinense);
  13. bull nettle, silver-leaf nettle, white horse-nettle (Solanum elaeagnifolium);
  14. western horse-nettle, robust horse-nettle (Solanum dimidiatum);
  15. horse-nettle (Solanum rostratum);
  16. hackberries (Celtis spp.).
  17. dead nettles, dumb nettles (Lamium spp.), particularly Lamium album, white nettle;
  18. false nettles (Boehmeria spp., family Urticaceae);
  19. flame nettles or painted nettles (Coleus spp.);
  20. hedge nettles (Stachys spp.);
  21. hemp nettles (Galeopsis spp.);
  22. horse nettle Agastache urticifolia,
  23. nilgiri nettles, Himalayan giant nettles (Girardinia diversifolia, family Urticaceae spp.).
  24. Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

verb nettles · nettling · nettled

  1. transitive Of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting, causing a rash in someone. The children were badly nettled after playing in the field.
  2. figuratively, transitive To pique, irritate, vex or provoke. [T]his is no lavv unto the vvoof of the neat Retiarie Spider, vvhich ſeems to vveave vvithout tranſverſion, and by the union of right lines to make out a continued ſurface, vvhich is beyond the common art of Textury, and may ſtill nettle Minerva the Godeſſe of that myſtery.

Translations

Every language

noun stinging herb of genus Urtica

Españolortiga
한국어쐐기풀 sswaegipul
日本語蕁麻 irakusa
中文蕁麻 /荨麻 qiánmá, xúnmá
Portuguêsurtiga, ortiga
Françaisortie
DeutschNessel, Brennnessel
Italianoortica
Ελληνικάτσουκνίδα tsouknída
Românăurzică
Русскийкрапи́ва krapíva
Tiếng Việttầm ma
العربيةقُرَّاص qurrāṣ, أَنْجَرَة ʔanjara, حُرَّيْق ḥurrayq
עבריתסרפד sirpád

noun anything which causes such a rash

Españolurticaria

verb of the nettle plant etc., to sting causing a rash

Españolortigar
Portuguêsurtigar, ortigar, urticar
Françaispiquer, irriter
Deutschverbrennen, nesseln
Русскийобжигать obžigatʹ

verb to pique, irritate, vex or provoke someone

Españolhostigar
Portuguêsirritar, vexar, provocar
Françaispiquer, irriter, vexer
Deutschärgern, reizen
Русскийраздража́ть razdražátʹ, уязвлять ujazvljatʹ

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{nettle_2026,
  title = {nettle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nettle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}