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Prick

//pɹɪk// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.
2
the act of puncturing with a small point wordnet
3
An indentation or small mark made with a pointed object.
4
obscene terms for penis wordnet
5
A dot or other diacritical mark used in writing; a point. obsolete

Show 12 more definitions

6
insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous wordnet
7
A tiny particle; a small amount of something; a jot. obsolete
8
a depression scratched or carved into a surface wordnet
9
A small pointed object.
"Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary."
10
The experience or feeling of being pierced or punctured by a small, sharp object.
"I felt a sharp prick as the nurse took a sample of blood."
11
A feeling of remorse.
"1768–1777, Abraham Tucker, The Light of Nature Pursued the pricks of conscience"
12
The penis. slang, vulgar
"Patriarchal attitudes have made a society where men rule and women obey, where "you'd-better-know-your-place-boy," where gay men actually play husband-and-wife (my lover and I did it for four years, until it became intolerable), where king prick lays down the law."
13
Someone (especially a male) who is unpleasant, rude or annoying. derogatory, slang
14
A small roll of yarn or tobacco. historical
15
The footprint of a hare.
16
A point or mark on the dial, noting the hour. obsolete
"the prick of noon"
17
The point on a target at which an archer aims; the mark; the pin. obsolete
"they that shooten nearest the prick"

Verb

1
To pierce or puncture slightly. transitive
"John hardly felt the needle prick his arm when the adept nurse drew blood."
2
stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick wordnet
3
To pierce or puncture slightly.; To drive a nail into (a horse's foot), so as to cause lameness. transitive
4
make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn wordnet
5
To pierce or puncture slightly.; To shoot without killing. transitive
"They had shot at old Tom, the hare, too, but he is still alive; at least I pricked him yesterday morn across the path into the turnip field."

Show 20 more definitions

6
deliver a sting to wordnet
7
To form by piercing or puncturing. transitive
"to prick holes in paper"
8
to cause a sharp emotional pain wordnet
9
To mark or denote by a puncture; to designate by pricking; to choose; to mark. obsolete
"c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers Some who are pricked for sheriffs."
10
to stick up wordnet
11
To mark the surface of (something) with pricks or dots; especially, to trace a ship’s course on (a chart). transitive
12
cause a prickling sensation wordnet
13
To run a middle seam through the cloth of a sail. obsolete
14
cause a stinging pain wordnet
15
To fix by the point; to attach or hang by puncturing.
"The cooks [...]prick it [a slice] on a prog of iron."
16
To be punctured; to suffer or feel a sharp pain, as by puncture. dated, intransitive
"A sore finger pricks."
17
To make or become sharp; to erect into a point; to raise, as something pointed; said especially of the ears of an animal, such as a horse or dog; and usually followed by up. ambitransitive
"The dog's ears pricked up at the sound of a whistle."
18
Usually in the form prick out: to plant (seeds or seedlings) in holes made in soil at regular intervals.
"Seed should be sown thinly and evenly to enable seedlings to be pricked out without disturbing those that have just emerged. If there is space, seedlings should be pricked out individually, either into small pots or module trays."
19
To incite, stimulate, goad. transitive
"My duty pricks me on to utter that."
20
To urge one's horse on; to ride quickly. archaic, intransitive
"At last, as through an open plaine they yode, They spide a knight that towards them pricked fayre [...]."
21
To affect with sharp pain; to sting, as with remorse.
"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart."
22
To make acidic or pungent. transitive
"For then their late Attracts decline, And turn as eager as prick'd Wine"
23
To become sharp or acid; to turn sour, as wine. intransitive
24
To aim at a point or mark.
"This prayse belongeth to stronge shootinge and drawinge of mightye bowes, not to prickinge, and nere shootinge."
25
to dress or adorn; to prink. obsolete, usually

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English prik, prikke, from Old English prica, pricu (“a sharp point, minute mark, spot, dot, small portion, prick”), from Proto-West Germanic *prikō, *priku, from Proto-Germanic *prikô, *prikō (“a prick, point”), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *breyǵ- (“to scrape, scratch, rub, prickle, chap”). Cognate with West Frisian prik (“small hole”), West Frisian prikke (“penis”), Dutch prik (“point, small stick", also "penis”), Danish prik (“dot”), Icelandic prik (“dot, small stick”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English prikken, from Old English prician, priccan (“to prick”), from Proto-Germanic *prikōną, *prikjaną (“to pierce, prick”), of uncertain origin; perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *breyǵ- (“to scrape, scratch, rub, prickle, chap”). Cognate with dialectal English pritch, Dutch prikken (“to prick, sting”), Middle High German pfrecken (“to prick”), Swedish pricka (“to dot, prick”), and possibly to Lithuanian įbrėžti (“to scrape, scratch, carve, inscribe, strike”).

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