needle

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈniː.dəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English nǣdl (about 700, in the earliest glossaries),^[2][3][4] from *nēþlō,^[2][3][4] cognate with Old Saxon nāthla, Dutch naald, German Nadel, Old Norse nál and Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐌸𐌻𐌰 (nēþla).^[2][3][4] It is formed from a base *nē-, to sew,^[2][4] and an instrumental suffix,^[3] from an Indo-European root also seen in Latin nēre and Ancient Greek νέω (néō), to spin, Ancient Greek νῆμα (nêma), thread, and German nähen, to sew.^[3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A slender pointed instrument for carrying thread through cloth: about 725.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The magnetized needle of a compass is from the late 14th century,^[3][4] and a pillar or obelisk (Cleopatra's Needle) and a sharp rock from the 14th century.^[4] A needle in a haystack is first a needle in a meadow, in Thomas More (about 1530).^[3][7] The surgical needle is from 1727, the gramophone needle from 1902, and a pointer on a dial from 1928.^[3] The verb, to sew or pierce with a needle, is from 1715;^[3][8] to goad or provoke is from 1881,^[3] probably from an earlier sense to haggle (1812).^[3]

Timeline

• c. 725 – a sewing needle.^[7]
• late 14th century – a compass needle.^[3]
• c. 1530 – a needle in a meadow.^[3]
• 1715 – to needle (verb).^[3]
• 1727 – a surgical needle.^[3]
• 1881 – to provoke.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A thin pointed piece of steel with an eye for thread, used for sewing.
2. A long rod used in knitting, or a hooked one for crochet.
3. The hollow pointed tube of a syringe.
4. The pointer of a compass or gauge.
5. The thin, stiff leaf of a pine or fir.

Verb

1. To provoke or tease.
2. To sew or pierce with a needle.

Word family

• needler
• needlelike
• needlecraft
• needlefish
• needlepoint
• needlestick
• needlewoman
• needlework

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster