BRISTLE


Meaning of BRISTLE in English

n.

Function: verb

Inflected Form: bris · tled ; bris · tling \ ' bris-li ŋ , ' bri-s ə - \

Date: 15th century

transitive verb

1 : to furnish with bristles

2 : to make bristly : RUFFLE

intransitive verb

1 a : to rise and stand stiffly erect <quills bristling > b : to raise the bristles (as in anger)

2 : to take on an aggressively defensive attitude (as in response to a slight or criticism) <he bristled at the accusations of corruption>

3 a : to be full of or covered with especially something suggestive of bristles <roofs bristled with chimneys> b : to be full of something specified <book bristle s with detail and irony ― W. J. Broad>

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.