nettle
IPA: nˈɛtʌɫ
noun
- Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
- Especially, most species of herb genus Urtica, the stinging nettles:
- Most, but not all, subspecies of Urtica dioica (common nettle),
- Urtica incisa (Australian nettle);
- Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis);
- Bull nettles and spurge nettles (Cnidoscolus spp.):
- Cnidoscolus stimulosus, bull nettle, spurge nettle,
- Cnidoscolus texanus, Texas bull nettle,
- Cnidoscolus urens, bull nettle,
- Nettle trees or tree nettles:
- Various species of the genus Dendrocnide:
- Urera baccifera (scratchbush),
- Urtica ferox (tree nettle);
- rock nettle (Eucnide spp.);
- small-leaved nettle (Dendrocnide photinophylla).
- Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
- ball nettle (Solanum carolinense);
- Solanum elaeagnifolium, bull nettle, silver-leaf nettle, white horse-nettle;
- Solanum dimidiatum, western horse-nettle, robust horse-nettle;
- Solanum rostratum, horse-nettle;
- Celtis (hackberry).
- Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
- dead nettle, dumb nettle (Lamium spp.), particularly Lamium album, white nettle;
- false nettle (Boehmeria spp., family Urticaceae);
- flame nettle or painted nettle (Coleus spp.);
- hedge nettle (Stachys spp.);
- hemp nettle (Galeopsis spp.);
- horse nettle Agastache urticifolia,
- nilgiri nettle, Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia, family Urticaceae).
- Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.
verb
- (transitive) Of the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting, causing a rash in someone.
- (transitive, figurative) To pique, irritate, vex or provoke.
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Examples of "nettle" in Sentences
- a monkey, poison to a nettle, and folly to a fool, they called a nettle
- But an invasive pest called the nettle moth caterpillar can take the fun out
- The sting of the nettle is a very curious and interesting object under the microscope.
- This year we are grasping an even more difficult nettle, which is human rights in the two traditions.
- I've also been looking to include more raw garlic in my diet as I've been fighting off a few infections so I hit on the idea of nettle pesto.
- The bird spends the day searching for food in such places -- hence its name nettle-creeper -- creeping along the hedges, under brambles and thorns, and builds its nest in the locality to which it is accustomed.
- We need to be very transparent, and very clear that this cannot continue, but at the same time grasp a very difficult political nettle, which is to address the problem of pay at the senior levels of the Civil Service.
- "We need to be very transparent, and very clear that this cannot continue, but at the same time grasp a very difficult political nettle, which is to address the problem of pay at the senior levels of the Civil Service."
- He will make over to the ignominy of ignorant and barbaric ages, -- 'for we call a nettle but a nettle,' he will turn into a forgotten pageant of the rude, early, instinctive ages, the yet brutal ages of an undeveloped humanity, that triumphant reception at home, of the Conqueror of Foreign States.
- Naturalist we are told, that these names are omitted, 'for we call a nettle but a nettle, and the faults of fools their folly,' -- that exclusive good he finds both passive and active, and this also is one of those primary distinctions which 'is formed in all things,' and so too is the _subdivision_ of passive good which follows.
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