nettle

plural nettles

1. Any plant whose foliage is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
   1. Most, but not all, subspecies of Urtica dioica (common nettle),
   2. Urtica incisa (Australian nettle);
   3. wood nettle (Laportea canadensis);
   4. bull nettle, spurge nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus)
   5. Texas bull nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus),
   6. bull nettle (Cnidoscolus urens),
   7. Various species of the genus Dendrocnide
   8. small-leaved nettle (Dendrocnide photinophylla).
   9. scratchbush (Urera baccifera)
   10. tree nettle (Urtica ferox);
   11. rock nettles (Eucnide spp.);
2. Certain plants that have spines or prickles:
   1. ball nettle (Solanum carolinense);
   2. bull nettle, silver-leaf nettle, white horse-nettle (Solanum elaeagnifolium);
   3. western horse-nettle, robust horse-nettle (Solanum dimidiatum);
   4. horse-nettle (Solanum rostratum);
   5. hackberries (Celtis spp.).
3. Certain non-stinging plants, mostly in the family Lamiaceae, that resemble the species of Urtica:
   1. dead nettles, dumb nettles (Lamium spp.), particularly Lamium album, white nettle;
   2. false nettles (Boehmeria spp., family Urticaceae);
   3. flame nettles or painted nettles (Coleus spp.);
   4. hedge nettles (Stachys spp.);
   5. hemp nettles (Galeopsis spp.);
   6. horse nettle Agastache urticifolia,
   7. nilgiri nettles, Himalayan giant nettles (Girardinia diversifolia, family Urticaceae spp.).
4. Loosely, anything which causes a similarly stinging rash, such as a jellyfish or sea nettle.

present singular third person nettles · participle present nettling · participle past nettled · past nettled

1. transitiveOf the nettle plant and similar physical causes, to sting, causing a rash in someone.

   The children were badly nettled after playing in the field.

   1 more example

   […] I am whipp’d and scourged with rods, / Nettled and stung with pismires, when I hear / Of this vile politician, Bolingbroke.

   c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

2. figurativelytransitiveTo pique, irritate, vex or provoke.

   I saw Mr. Williams was a little nettled at my Impatience […]

   1741, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXXI”, in Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded. […], 3rd edition, volume I, London: […] C[harles] Rivington, […]; and J. Osborn, […], →OCLC

   3 more examples

   [T]his is no lavv unto the vvoof of the neat Retiarie Spider, vvhich ſeems to vveave vvithout tranſverſion, and by the union of right lines to make out a continued ſurface, vvhich is beyond the common art of Textury, and may ſtill nettle Minerva the Godeſſe of that myſtery.

   1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter II.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, pages 110–111

   His Miſtreſs: vvhoſe Miſtreſs, vvhat Miſtreſs; s'life hovv that little vvord has nettled me!

   1679 April 6 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), A[phra] Behn, The Feign‘d Curtizans, or, A Nights Intrigue. A Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act V, scene i, page 59

   Liu, whose political writings had nettled the Taiwanese authorities, was assassinated on October 15, last year, in Daly City […]

   1985, United States, Daily Report: People's Republic of China, numbers 180-189, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, page 42