nee·dle
(nēd́l)
[Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl.]
noun
- A small, slender implement used for sewing or surgical suturing, made usually of polished steel and having an eye at one end through which a length of thread is passed and held.
- Any one of various other implements, such as one used in knitting or crocheting.
- A slender piece of jewel or steel used to transmit vibrations from the grooves of a phonograph record.
- A slender pointer or indicator on a dial, scale, or similar part of a mechanical device.
- A magnetic needle.
- A hypodermic needle.
- Informal A hypodermic injection; a shot.
- Chiefly Upper Northern U.S. See dragonfly
- A narrow stiff leaf, as those of conifers.
- A fine, sharp projection, as a spine of a sea urchin or a crystal.
- A sharp-pointed instrument used in engraving.
- Informal A goading, provoking, or teasing remark or act.
verb: -dled, -dling, -dles.
transitive verb
- To prick, pierce, or stitch with a small, slender, sharp-pointed implement.
- Informal To goad, provoke, or tease.
- Slang To increase the alcoholic content of (a beverage).
intransitive verb
- To sew or do similar work with a small, slender, sharp-pointed implement.
derivatives
- neédler
- noun
drag·on·fly
(drăǵən-flī́)
noun
- Any of various large insects of the order Odonata or suborder Anisoptera, having a long slender body and two pairs of narrow, net-veined wings that are usually held outstretched while the insect is at rest. Also called Also called regionally darner, darning needle, devil's darning needle, ear sewer, mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, needle, skeeter hawk, snake doctor, snake feeder, spindle
