Needle

Needle

Noun / Verb · /ˈniː.dəl/

Definition

(Noun) a thin, sharp-pointed instrument, typically of steel, used in sewing; a thin rod with a sharp point used for knitting or crocheting; a thin hypodermic needle for injection; the pointer of a compass or measuring instrument; a thin sharply-pointed spiny leaf of conifers; (Verb, informal) to provoke or irritate; to sew with a needle.

Origin

From Old English nǣdl, from Proto-Germanic *nēþlō, from Proto-Indo-European *sneh₁- (to spin, sew). Related to German Nadel (needle), Dutch naald, and to Latin nēre (to spin), Greek nein (to spin). The needle's etymology therefore connecting it to the ancient human practices of spinning and sewing — among the most significant technological developments in early human history. The phrase needle in a haystack being one of the most widely used idioms for an impossibly difficult search.