needle

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   goad or provoke, as by constant criticism

   We needled them with sarcastic remarks.

2. 2
   noun

   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.

3. 3
   noun

   A fine measurement indicator on a dial or graph.

   a compass needle

4. 4
   noun

   A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.

   Ziggy bought some diamond needles for his hi-fi phonograph.

5. 5
   noun

   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.

6. 6
   noun

   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.

7. 7
   verb

   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.

8. 8
   verb

   To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.

   Billy needled his sister incessantly about her pimples.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Indo-European *-tlom Proto-Indo-European *(s)néh₁tlom Proto-Germanic *nēþlą Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Germanic *-ō Proto-Germanic *nēþlō Proto-West Germanic *nāþlu Old English nǣdl Middle English nedle English needle 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 (“s…