[ 'brɪs(ə)l ]
■ noun a short, stiff hair on an animal's skin or a man's face.
↘a stiff animal hair, or a man-made substitute, used to make a brush.
■ verb
1》 (of hair or fur) stand upright away from the skin, as a sign of anger or fear.
2》 react angrily or defensively.
3》 ( ~ with ) be covered with or abundant in.
Derivatives
bristly adjective
Origin
ME: from OE byrst (of Gmc origin) + -le 1 .