teasel

T1E1A1S1E1L1
/ˈtiːzəl/

noun

Any of several plants of the genus Dipsacus.

Similar
teazelteasle
OriginMiddle English tasel ← Old English tǣsel ← Proto-West Germanic *taisilu →
UncommonScrabble 6
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Meanings

nounteasel (plural teasels)

plural teasels · alternative archaic teasle · alternative archaic teazel · alternative archaic teazle · alternative obsolete tazel

  1. Any of several plants of the genus Dipsacus.
  2. The dried fruiting head of the fuller's teasel, Dipsacus sativa, used for teasing or carding cloth.
  3. Any contrivance intended as a substitute for teasels in dressing cloth.
verbteasel (third-person singular simple present teasels, present participle (US) teaseling or (UK) teaselling, simple past and past participle (US) teaseled or (UK) teaselled)

present singular third person teasels · US participle present teaseling · UK participle present teaselling · US participle past teaseled · US past teaseled · UK participle past teaselled · UK past teaselled · alternative archaic teasle · alternative archaic teazel · alternative archaic teazle · alternative obsolete tazel

  1. archaicTo raise the nap on cloth; to tease; to card.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounany of several herbs of the genus Dipsacus native to the Old World having flower heads surrounded by spiny bracts

Similar
teazelteasle
Broader
herbherbaceous plant
Also see
huttonweed

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-West Germanic*taisilu
  2. Old Englishtǣsel
  3. Middle Englishtasel
  4. Englishteasel

From Middle English tasel, tesel, from Old English tǣsel, tǣsl, from Proto-West Germanic *taisilu.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek δίψακος, κνάφος
  • δίψακος (dípsakos)plant
  • κνάφος (knáphos)plant
Bulgarian лугачка
  • лугачка (lugačka)plant
Catalan cardó, cardet
  • cardóplant
  • cardetflower head
Czech štětka
  • štětkaplant
Dutch kaardenbol
  • kaardenbolplant
Finnish karstaohdake
  • karstaohdakeplant
French cardère
  • cardèreplant
German Karde
  • Kardeplant
Irish liost
  • liostplant
Polish szczeć
  • szczećplant
Russian ворся́нка
  • ворся́нка (vorsjánka)plant
Welsh cribau'r pannwr, llysiau'r pannwr
  • cribau'r pannwrplant
  • llysiau'r pannwrplant
  • llysiau'r cribwrplant
  • llysiau'r cribauplant
  • teilai mawrplant
  • cribau'r pannwrflower head

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with teasel

dieseleaseleiselleast weaselmeasle
All rhymes →

Anagrams

salteeslatee
Cite this entry
APA

teasel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teasel

MLA

“teasel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teasel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “teasel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teasel.

Source: teasel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.