[bris.tle] n [ME bristil, fr. brust bristle, fr. OE byrst; akin to OHG burst bristle, and perh. to L fastigium top] (14c): a short stiff coarse hair or filament -- bris.tle.like adj
[2]bristle vb bris.tled ; bris.tling vt (15c) 1: to furnish with bristles
2: to make bristly: ruffle ~ vi 1 a: to rise and stand stiffly erect "quills bristling" b: to raise the bristles (as in anger)
2: to take on an aggressive attitude or appearance (as in response to a slight) 3 a: to be full of or covered with esp. something suggestive of bristles "roofs bristled with chimneys" b: to be full of something specified "book ~s with detail and irony --W. J. Broad"