hackle

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hakulǭ
2. Old English · inherited fromhæcla
3. Middle English · inherited fromhakle
4. English todayhackle

From Middle English hakle (compare the compound meshakele), from Old English hæcla, hacele, from Proto-Germanic *hakulǭ, equivalent to hack + -le. Cognate with Dutch hekel, German Hechel.

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp.
• from 15th c. One of the long, narrow feathers on the neck of birds, most noticeable on the rooster.
• from 17th c. A feather used to make a fishing lure or a fishing lure incorporating a feather.
• from 19th c. By extension (because the hackles of a rooster are lifted when it is angry), the hair on the nape of the neck in dogs and other animals; also used figuratively for humans.
• from 20th c. A plate with rows of pointed needles used to blend or straighten hair.
• from 17th c. To dress (flax or hemp) with a hackle; to prepare fibres of flax or hemp for spinning.