I. bris ‧ tle 1 /ˈbrɪs ə l/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old English ; Origin: byrst 'bristle' ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] a short stiff hair that feels rough:
His chin was covered with bristles.
2 . [countable] a short stiff hair, wire etc that forms part of a brush
II. bristle 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
1 . to behave in a way that shows you are very angry or annoyed
bristle with rage/indignation etc
John pushed back his chair, bristling with rage.
bristle at
He bristled at her rudeness.
2 . if an animal’s hair bristles, it stands up stiffly because the animal is afraid or angry
bristle with something phrasal verb
to have a lot of something, or be full of something:
a battleship bristling with guns