# needle

Pronunciation: say "NEE-duhl" /ˈniː.dl̩/

## Noun

1. A long, thin, sharp tool used for piercing in sewing, acupuncture, or injections, or a similar blunt tool for forming loops in knitting and other crafts.
   - Simple: A thin, pointed metal tool used for sewing, giving medicine shots, or making stitches.
   - _The nurse inserted the needle into his arm to draw blood._
   - _A knitting needle slid through the wool as she worked the next row._
2. A slender, pointed leaf of the kind found on pines and other conifers.
   - Simple: A thin, sharp leaf that grows on pine trees and other conifers.
   - _Each needle on the spruce stays green through the winter._
   - _Fallen needles formed a soft carpet beneath the pines._
3. A fine pointer on a dial or graph that indicates a measured value.
   - Simple: The thin pointer on a dial that shows a measurement.
   - _The compass needle settled, pointing steadily north._
   - _As the tank filled, the fuel needle crept toward full._
5. A slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a sharp rock pinnacle, a crystal, or an obelisk.
   - Simple: Any thin, pointed shape, such as a sharp rock, a tall stone pillar, or a crystal.
   - _The cathedral's stone needle pierced the morning fog._
   - _Quartz often grows in clusters of fine needles._
7. The small stylus that rests in the grooves of a phonograph record to reproduce sound. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The small pointed tip that reads the grooves on a record to make sound.
   - _A worn needle can scratch your favorite vinyl._
   - _She replaced the needle before playing the rare jazz album._
8. Execution carried out by lethal injection, used as a form of capital punishment. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Death as a punishment, carried out by injecting deadly drugs into a prisoner.
   - _After years of appeals, he finally faced the needle._
   - _Opponents argue the needle is no more humane than older methods._
9. A move in which the performer balances on two hands and one leg, then kicks the other leg up into a full vertical split.
   - Simple: A move where you balance on both hands and one leg, then kick the other leg up into a split.
   - _The young gymnast nailed her needle during the floor routine._
   - _Coaches teach the needle once a student can hold a steady handstand._
10. The text string being searched for within a larger string, as when finding a word inside a document.
   - Simple: In computer searches, the piece of text you are trying to find inside a larger text.
   - _The function returns the position where the needle first appears in the haystack._
   - _A faster algorithm locates the needle without scanning every character._
11. A strong beam resting on props, used as a temporary support for a building while repairs are made.
   - Simple: A strong beam held up by posts, used to support a building for a short time during repairs.
   - _Engineers inserted a needle beneath the arch to carry the load during the repair._
   - _Once the new foundation cured, the crew removed the needle and its props._
13. Any of several damselflies of the genus Synlestes, found only in Australia.
   - Simple: A kind of damselfly found only in Australia.
   - _The needle is found only near streams in eastern Australia._
   - _Researchers netted a single needle to study its wing markings._

## Verb

4. To tease someone in order to provoke them, or to poke fun at them.
   - Simple: To annoy someone on purpose by teasing them or making fun of them.
   - _Fans needle the referee whenever a call goes against their team._
   - _He needles his rivals with sly comments before every match._
6. To pierce something with a needle, especially when sewing or performing acupuncture.
   - Simple: To push a needle through something, such as cloth or skin.
   - _Acupuncturists needle precise points along the body to relieve tension._
   - _She needled the canvas, drawing the thread through in neat rows._
12. To form, or be formed, into the long, thin shape of a needle.
   - Simple: To grow or take the shape of a long, thin needle, as some crystals do.
   - _Certain minerals can needle into slender shafts under the right conditions._
   - _The chemist needled the crystals by letting the solution cool very slowly._

## Origin

"Needle" comes from Middle English nedle and Old English nǣdl, from Proto-Germanic *nēþlō, and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)neh₁- meaning "to spin, twist." It is cognate with Dutch naald, German Nadel (and nähen, "to sew"), Swedish and Danish nål, and Gothic nēþla.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/needle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).