prickle

Etymology

Comes from Middle English prykkyl, prykyl, which developed from Old English pricel, pricels, pricle (“a prickle, sharp point, bit”), itself from a conflation of Proto-West Germanic *prikislī and *prikil (“prickle”). Looked at simply by its parts, it appears to be prick plus -le. It is cognate with West Frisian prikel (“goad, prickle”), Dutch prikkel (“sting, prickle, stimulus”), German Low German Prekel (“wooden stick, poker”), and Saterland Frisian prikkelje (“to propel, spur on, goad”). The word is first attested in the Old English period.