bristle

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: bris=tle

CIDE DICTIONARY

bristle, n. [OE. bristel, brustel, AS. bristl, byrst; akin to D. borstel, OHG. burst, G. borste, Icel. burst, Sw. borst, and to Skr. bh edge, point, and prob, L. fastigium extremity, Gr. 'a`flaston stern of a ship, and E. brush, burr, perh. to brad.

•  A short, stiff, coarse hair, as on the back of swine.  [1913 Webster]
•  A stiff, sharp, roundish hair.  Gray.  [1913 Webster]

bristle, v. t. 

•  To erect the bristles of; to cause to stand up, as the bristles of an angry hog; -- sometimes with up.  [1913 Webster]

  "Now for the bare-picked bone of majesty
  Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest."  [1913 Webster]

  "Boy, bristle thy courage up."  [1913 Webster]
•  To fix a bristle to; as, to bristle a thread.  [1913 Webster]

bristle, v. i. 

•  To rise or stand erect, like bristles.  [1913 Webster]

  "His hair did bristle upon his head."  [1913 Webster]
•  To appear as if covered with bristles; to have standing, thick and erect, like bristles.  [1913 Webster]

  "The hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten thousand bayonets."  [1913 Webster]

  "Ports bristling with thousands of masts."  [1913 Webster]
•  To show defiance or indignation.  [1913 Webster]

To bristle up, to show anger or defiance.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bristle, n. & v.
--n.
1 a short stiff hair, esp. one of those on an animal's back.
2 this, or a man-made substitute, used in clumps to make a brush.
--v.
1 a intr. (of the hair) stand upright, esp. in anger or pride. b tr. make (the hair) do this.
2 intr. show irritation or defensiveness.
3 intr. (usu. foll. by with) be covered or abundant (in).

Etymology

ME bristel, brestel f. OE byrst

THESAURUS

bristle

Vandyke, acuminate, aggravate, anger, annoy, arise, arouse, badger, bait, barb, barbel, be alive, be at, be keen, beard, beaver, bedevil, beset, bite, blow up, boil, boil over, bother, bramble, bridle, bridle up, brier, bristle up, bristle with, bristles, brown off, bug, bullyrag, burn, burn up, burr, cactus, capillament, catchweed, chafe, chivy, cilium, cleavers, coat, cock up, corrugate, crawl, crinkle, crumple, cut, devil, discompose, distemper, disturb, dog, down, embitter, exasperate, exercise, fash, flare up, fleece, flip out, fret, fume, fur, get, get mad, get sore, get up, goatee, goose grass, gripe, hair, harass, harry, have an edge, heckle, hector, horripilate, horsehair, hound, huff, imperial, incense, inflame, irk, irritate, jump up, mane, miff, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, peach fuzz, peeve, pelt, persecute, pester, pick on, pile, pine needle, pique, plague, pluck the beard, pother, prick, prickle, provoke, pubescence, pubic hair, quill, rage, ramp, rankle, reach boiling point, rear, rear up, ride, rile, rise, rise up, roil, ruffle, rumple, see red, seethe, set on edge, set up, seta, setula, setule, shag, side whiskers, sit bolt upright, sit up, spicule, spiculum, spike, spikelet, spine, stand up, stick, stick up, sticker, sting, stir the blood, stir up, striga, stubble, swarm, tease, teem, thistle, thorn, torment, try the patience, tuft, tweak the nose, upheave, uprear, uprise, vex, whisker, whiskers, wool, work up, worry, wrinkle, yucca

ROGET THESAURUS

bristle

Sharpness

N sharpness, acuity, acumination, spinosity, point, spike, spine, spicule, spiculum, needle, hypodermic needle, tack, nail, pin, prick, prickle, spur, rowel, barb, spit, cusp, horn, antler, snag, tag thorn, bristle, Adam's needle, bear grass, tine, yucca, nib, tooth, tusk, spoke, cog, ratchet, crag, crest, arete, cone peak, sugar loaf, pike, aiguille, spire, pyramid, steeple, beard, chevaux de frise, porcupine, hedgehog, brier, bramble, thistle, comb, awn, beggar's lice, bur, burr, catchweed, cleavers, clivers, goose, grass, hairif, hariff, flax comb, hackle, hatchel, heckle, wedge, knife edge, cutting edge, blade, edge tool, cutlery, knife, penknife, whittle, razor, razor blade, safety razor, straight razor, electric razor, scalpel, bistoury, lancet, plowshare, coulter, colter, hatchet, ax, pickax, mattock, pick, adze, gill, billhook, cleaver, cutter, scythe, sickle, scissors, shears, pruning shears, cutters, wire cutters, nail clipper, paper cutter, sword, bodkin, belduque, bowie knife, paring knife, bushwhacker, drawing knife, drawing shave, microtome, chisel, screwdriver blade, flint blade, guillotine, sharpener, hone, strop, grindstone, whetstone, novaculite, steel, emery, sharp, keen, acute, acicular, aciform, aculeated, acuminated, pointed, tapering, conical, pyramidal, mucronate, mucronated, spindle shaped, needle shaped, spiked, spiky, ensiform, peaked, salient, cusped, cuspidate, cuspidated, cornute, cornuted, cornicultate, prickly, spiny, spinous, spicular, thorny, bristling, muricated, pectinated, studded, thistly, briary, craggy, snaggy, digitated, two-edged, fusiform, dentiform, denticulated, toothed, odontoid, starlike, stellated, stelliform, sagittate, sagittiform, arrowheaded, arrowy, barbed, spurred, acinaciform, apiculate, apiculated, aristate, awned, awny, bearded, calamiform, cone-shaped, coniform, crestate, echinate, gladiate, lanceolate, lanciform, awl, awl-shaped, lance-shaped, awl- shaped, scimitar-shaped, sword-shaped, setarious, spinuliferous, subulate, tetrahedral, xiphoid, cutting, sharp edged, knife edged, sharp as a razor, keen as a razor, sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack, sharpened, set.

For further exploring for "bristle" in Webster Dictionary Online