Nettle
/ˈnetəl/
nounverbB2
Definition
As a noun, nettle is a green plant that has small hairs on its leaves and stems. When you touch these hairs, they can sting your skin and cause redness or itching. As a verb, nettle means to make someone feel annoyed or bothered, often by small or repeated actions.
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See It in Action
Noun: A stinging plant with tiny hairs that can cause skin irritation
- •Be careful not to touch the nettle or you will get a sting.
- •The gardener pulled out the nettles from the flower bed.
- •Nettles grow wild in many fields and forests.
Verb: To annoy or irritate someone slightly but repeatedly
- •His constant questions nettled her during the meeting.
- •The noisy neighbors nettled the whole block.
- •It nettled him when people ignored his ideas.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'nettle' like 'plant' (A1 word), but this plant can sting you like a small pinch or scratch.
- ✓Picture touching a green leaf with tiny needles that hurt your skin for a moment.
- ✓It’s the feeling when something small but uncomfortable keeps bothering you, like a fly buzzing around your face.
- ✓Sounds like 'nettle' → imagine a small net catching you and giving a little sting or pinch.
- ✓In stories, nettles often grow wild and cause trouble for people walking through a forest.
- ✓NOT like 'rose' (soft and pretty), nettle is rough and can hurt you when touched.
- ✓As a verb, NOT like 'shout' (big anger), nettle is small, quiet irritation that stays with you.
- ✓NOT like 'calm' or 'ignore,' nettle makes you feel bothered and uneasy.
- ✓The plant nettle hurts by itself (natural defense), the verb nettle means someone or something causes a small, repeated annoyance.
Try Other Words
- •Irritate: to make someone feel annoyed or uncomfortable (Use when the annoyance is stronger or more physical)
- •Annoy: to bother or disturb someone repeatedly (Use for general repeated discomfort)
- •Prickle: to feel a small sharp pain or sting, especially on skin (Use when describing physical sensation like the plant)
- •Sting: to cause a sharp, quick pain (Use for the physical feeling from nettle plant)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix) 'nettle' is a whole word
- •Etymology: From Old English 'netele,' related to Germanic words for stinging plants
- •Historical development: Used since early English times to describe the stinging plant; later used figuratively to mean irritation
- •Modern usage: Still used for the plant and as a verb meaning to annoy or irritate slightly but persistently
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when something small like a nettle plant caused you unexpected discomfort? How did you react?
•How is the feeling of being nettled different from being very angry or upset?
Fill in the blanks
1.Touching the nettle plant causes the skin to ___ with a sharp, itchy feeling.
2.His rude comments nettled her because they kept ___ her during the conversation.
3.Unlike a strong argument, nettle means a small but ___ irritation.
4.When someone nettles you, it can feel like a tiny ___ you cannot ignore.
5.Nettles often grow in ___ places where people might accidentally touch them.
6.She tried not to show that the noise nettled her, but it made her ___.
7.The gardener removed the nettle to prevent people from ___ themselves.