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bristle

 
(brĭs'əl) pronunciation
n.
  1. A stiff hair.
  2. A stiff hairlike structure: the bristles of a wire brush.

v., -tled, -tling, -tles.

v.intr.
  1. To stand stiffly on end like bristles: The hair on the dog's neck bristled.
  2. To raise the bristles: The cat bristled at the sight of the large dog.
  3. To react in an angry or offended manner: The author bristled at the suggestion of plagiarism.
  4. To be covered or thick with or as if with bristles: The path bristled with thorns.
v.tr.
  1. To cause to stand erect like bristles; stiffen.
  2. To furnish or supply with bristles.
  3. To make bristly; ruffle.

[Middle English bristel, probably from Old English *byrstel, from byrst, bristle.]


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Roget's Thesaurus:

bristle

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verb

  1. To be or become angry: anger, blow up, boil over, burn, explode, flare up, foam, fume, rage, seethe. Informal steam. Idioms: blow a fuse, blow a gasket, blow one'sstacktop, breathe fire, fly off the handle, get hot under the collar, hit theceilingroof, lose one's temper, see red. See feelings.
  2. To be abundantly filled or richly supplied: abound, crawl, flow, overflow, pullulate, swarm, teem. See big/small/amount, rich/poor.

Word Tutor:

bristle

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Short, course, or prickly hair from a hog or boar.

pronunciation Did you know that toothbrushes used to be made of bristle?

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

1. the thick strong animal fibers collected at commercial abattoirs for use in brushes.
2. the sharp serrated awns of grass and some cereal seeds that confer a capacity to penetrate normal skin and mucosa and to cause ulcerative stomatitis, grass seed abscess and the like.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'bristling'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to bristling, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Bristle.
The bristles of a sweeping brush

A bristle is a stiff hair or feather. Also used are synthetic materials such as nylon in items such as brooms and sweepers. Bristles are often used to make brushes for cleaning uses, as they are strongly abrasive; common examples include the toothbrush and toilet brush. The bristle brush is a common household cleaning tool, often used to remove dirt or grease from pots and pans.

Contents

Variations of bristle in the animal kingdom

Bristles are found on pig breeds instead of fur on most mammals. Because the density is less than with fur, pigs are vulnerable to sunburn. One breed, the Tamworth Pig is endowed with a very dense bristle structure such that sunburn damage to skin is minimized. Animals named for their bristles include bristlebirds, the Bristle-thighed Curlew, the Bristle-spined Porcupine, and the Trinity bristle snail. Bristles also anchor worms to the soil to help the worm move.

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Translations:

Bristle

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - stift hår, børstehår, strithår
v. intr. - rejse sig, stritte
v. tr. - få til at rejse sig, få til at stritte

idioms:

  • bristle with    vrimle med, være fuld af

Nederlands (Dutch)
stoppel, stekelhaar, overeind gaan staan, geïrriteerd raken, wemelen

Français (French)
n. - soie, poil (de brosse), poil raide (de la barbe), (Bot) soie, poil
v. intr. - se hérisser, (fig) se rebiffer
v. tr. - hérisser (ses poils, ses soies)

idioms:

  • bristle with    fourmiller de, grouiller de

Deutsch (German)
n. - Bartstoppel, Stoppel, Borste
v. - strotzen, sich sträuben

idioms:

  • bristle with    strotzen vor

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ανατριχιάζω, φρίττω, ορθώνονται ή σηκώνονται οι τρίχες μου, αγριεύω, θυμώνω
n. - σκληρή τρίχα, γουρουνότριχα, τρίχα βούρτσας

idioms:

  • bristle with    βρίθω από, είμαι γεμάτος ή σκεπασμένος από

Italiano (Italian)
brulicare, rizzarsi, pelo

idioms:

  • bristle with    brulicare di

Português (Portuguese)
v. - eriçar, mostrar indignação
n. - cerda (f)

idioms:

  • bristle with    estar lotado

Русский (Russian)
ощетиниться, торчать дыбом, щетина, рассердиться, полон

idioms:

  • bristle with    изобиловать

Español (Spanish)
n. - cañón, cerda
v. intr. - erizarse, poner el pelo de punta
v. tr. - poner el pelo de punta, erizar

idioms:

  • bristle with    estar erizado o lleno de

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - resa, sätta borst i, resa sig
n. - borst

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
刚毛, 猪鬃, 毛发竖立, 怒发冲冠, 给穿鬃毛, 使林立于, 使直立

idioms:

  • bristle with    充满

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 剛毛, 豬鬃
v. intr. - 毛髮豎立, 怒髮衝冠
v. tr. - 給穿鬃毛, 使林立於, 使直立

idioms:

  • bristle with    充滿

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 강모
v. intr. - 곤두서다, 안달하다, 빽빽이 들어서다
v. tr. - ~을 곤두세우다, ~에 강모를 심다

idioms:

  • bristle with    충만하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 剛毛, とげ
v. - 逆立つ, 逆立てる, 怒る, いらだたせる, 密生する, 剛毛を植える

idioms:

  • bristle with    満ちている

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) انتصب الشعر (الاسم) شعر خشن‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שיער קשה, זיף‬
v. intr. - ‮זעף, סמר, נראה תוקפני, כוסה או שפע, עמד זקוף (בגאווה או בזעם)‬
v. tr. - ‮זעף, סמר, הסתמר‬


 
 
Related topics:
bristle-shaped
cercus
seta

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American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Roget's Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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