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bristle

10 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. 1) bristle (noun)
  2. 2) bristle (verb)
  3. bristle-bird (noun)
  4. bristle cell (noun)
  5. bristle fern (noun)
  6. bristle grass (noun)
  7. bristle rat (noun)
  8. bristle-thighed curlew (noun)
  9. bristle worm (noun)
  10. green bristle (noun)

1bris·tle

noun \ˈbri-səl\

Definition of BRISTLE

: a short stiff coarse hair or filament
— bris·tle·like \ˈbri-sə(l)-ˌlīk\ adjective
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Examples of BRISTLE

  1. a face covered with bristles
  2. the bristles of a brush

Origin of BRISTLE

Middle English bristil, from brust bristle, from Old English byrst; akin to Old High German burst bristle, and perhaps to Latin fastigium top
First Known Use: 14th century

Related to BRISTLE

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

Rhymes with BRISTLE

fissile, gristle, missal, missile, scissile, thistle, whistle

Learn More About BRISTLE

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