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REFERENCE

needle

n. · v.
US //ˈnidəɫ// UK //nˈiːdəl// nee·dle
  1. 1 sewing tool (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a small, thin piece of metal with a sharp point at one end and a hole for thread at the other.

    a slender, pointed implement used in sewing or embroidery, typically featuring an eye at one end to carry thread.

    Example

    She threaded the needle carefully before starting to fix the hole in her shirt.

    Example

    The tailor selected a particularly fine needle to ensure the delicate silk fabric remained undamaged during the embroidery process.
  2. 2 medical tool (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    a thin, hollow metal tube with a sharp point used by doctors to give medicine or take blood.

    a hollow, sharpened instrument used for subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous injections and aspirations.

    Example

    The nurse used a new needle to give the patient his flu shot.

    Example

    Modern medical protocols require the immediate disposal of used needles into a puncture-resistant sharps container to prevent accidental injury.
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  1. 3 indicator (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the thin pointer on a dial or gauge that shows a measurement.

    a slender pointer on a measuring instrument, such as a compass, speedometer, or pressure gauge.

    Example

    The needle on the fuel gauge was pointing to empty.

    Example

    As the aircraft accelerated, the pilot watched the needle on the airspeed indicator climb steadily toward the cruising threshold.
  2. 4 leaf (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    the thin, sharp leaf of a tree like a pine or fir.

    a stiff, slender, needle-shaped leaf characteristic of many coniferous trees.

    Example

    The ground was covered in dry pine needles after the storm.

    Example

    The forest floor was carpeted with a thick layer of acidic needles, which inhibited the growth of most smaller flowering plants.
  3. 5 programming (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a specific piece of text that you are looking for inside a larger document or string.

    a specific string or pattern being searched for within a larger body of data, often referred to as the haystack.

    Example

    The function returns the position of the needle within the longer string.

    Example

    The algorithm is designed to locate the needle efficiently even when the haystack consists of several gigabytes of unstructured text.
  4. 6 to tease (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    to annoy or tease someone by repeatedly pointing out their mistakes or making fun of them.

    to provoke, annoy, or harass someone through persistent teasing or petty criticism.

    Example

    His older brother would always needle him about his fear of spiders.

    Example

    The defense attorney continued to needle the witness, hoping a frustrated outburst would undermine their credibility before the jury.
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *nēþlō Proto-West Germanic *nāþlu Old English nǣdl Middle English nedle English needle From Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl, from Proto-West Germanic nāþlu, from Proto-Germanic nēþlō, from pre-Germanic neh₁-tleh₂, from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- (“to spin, twist”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Näddele (“sewing needle”), Dutch naald (“needle”), German Nadel (“needle, pin, crochet hook”), nähen (“sew”), Luxembourgish Nol (“needle”), Vilamovian nöłd (“needle”), Yiddish נאָדל (nodl, “needle, pin”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish nål (“needle”), Elfdalian ną̊l (“needle”), Faroese, Icelandic nál (“needle”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐌸𐌻𐌰 (nēþla, “sewing needle”), Finnish neula (“needle”). Further related with Welsh nyddu, Latin nēre, Sanskrit स्नायति (snāyati, “wraps up, winds”). Related to snood.

Idioms7 entries

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