■ noun
1》 a very fine, slender piece of metal with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread at the other, used in sewing.
↘a similar, larger instrument used in crochet, knitting, etc.
2》 the pointed hollow end of a hypodermic syringe.
3》 a stylus used to play records.
4》 a thin pointer on a dial, compass, etc.
5》 the slender, sharp, stiff leaf of a fir or pine tree.
6》 a steel pin exploding the cartridge of a breech-loading gun.
7》 Brit. informal hostility or antagonism provoked by rivalry.
8》 a beam used as a temporary support during underpinning.
■ verb
1》 prick or pierce with a ~.
2》 informal provoke or annoy by continual criticism or questioning.
Derivatives
~r noun
Origin
OE ndl , of Gmc origin.