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   needle

   /ˈniːdl/

   noun

   • 1. a very fine slender piece of polished metal with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread at the other, used in sewing: "a darning needle"
   • ▪ a similar, larger instrument used in crafts such as crochet, knitting, and lacemaking.
   • 2. the pointed hollow end of a hypodermic syringe.
   • ▪ a very fine metal spike used in acupuncture.
   • 3. a thin pointer on a dial, compass, or other instrument: "the meter needle barely moved" Similar indicatorpointermarkerarrowhand
   • 4. a stylus used to play records: "she wound the gramophone and lowered the needle on to the record" Similar stylus
   • ▪ an etching tool.
   • ▪ a steel pin exploding the cartridge of a breech-loading gun.
   • 5. the sharp, stiff, slender leaf of a fir or pine tree.
   • 6. a pointed rock or peak: "just left of the needle is a steep wall for those who like bold climbing"
   • ▪ a group of rocks in the sea off the western tip of the Isle of Wight in southern England.
   • ▪ an obelisk: "Cleopatra's Needle"
   • 7. hostility or antagonism provoked by rivalry: informal British "there is already a little bit of needle between the sides"
   • 8. a beam used as a temporary support during underpinning.

   verb

   • 1. prick or pierce with or as if with a needle: "dust needled his eyes"
   • 2. provoke or annoy (someone) by continual criticism or questioning: informal "I just said that to Charlie to needle him"

   Word Origin Old Englishnǣdl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch naald and German Nadel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin nere ‘to spin’ and Greek nēma ‘thread’.

   Scrabble Points: 7

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