needle
n. countablen. a thin, sharp piece of metal used for sewing or for giving medicine with a syringe. It can also mean the small pointer on a compass or a car's dashboard.
n. a slender, pointed instrument used for suturing, injecting fluids, or sewing. Also refers to a magnetized or mechanical pointer on a gauge or compass.
The nurse used a clean needle to give the vaccination.
The compass needle pointed north, helping the hikers find their way back to the camp.
As the engine began to overheat, the temperature needle on the dashboard crept steadily toward the red warning zone, prompting the driver to pull over immediately.
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.
Commonly used in medical, textile, and navigational contexts.