noun / verb
bristle
BRIS-uhl/brˈɪsʌl/
A short stiff hair that may stand upright.
A stiff bristle stands upright on the boar's back.
Etymology
The stiff-hair noun, formed with a diminutive ending, became a verb for hair standing upright. The angry reaction evokes an animal’s raised bristles as it prepares to fight.
In context
they bristle at childhood nicknames they don't think our jokes are funny
More examples
- The dog's fur bristled along its spine.
- A short bristle from the brush sticks out at an angle.
- The worn toothbrush had bent bristles.
Forms
bristle · bristles · bristled · bristling
Similar words
- hair
- A broader term, a bristle is particularly stiff and coarse.