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épine — meaning in English

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English meaning

  • prickle noun A sharp and often small point, especially that of a plant; a thorn.
  • quill noun The hollow central shaft of a bird's feather.
  • spine noun A series of bones situated at the back from the head to the pelvis of a human, or from the head to the tail of an animal, enclosing the spinal cord and providing support for the thorax and abdomen.
  • thorn noun A sharp, hard, pointed growth on a plant stem or branch.

Senses

épine is used for these senses in English:

  • prickle A small, sharp pointed object similar to the true prickle, such as a thorn.
  • quill A sharply pointed, barbed, and easily detached needle-like structure that grows on the skin of a porcupine or hedgehog as a defense against predators. [from early 17th c.]
  • spine (zootomy, botany, mycology) A pointed, fairly rigid protuberance or needlelike structure on an animal, shell, mushroom or plant. The botanical term technically refers to such a structure derived from a leaf or part of a leaf.
  • thorn (botany) A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.

prickle — full definition

  1. noun A sharp and often small point, especially that of a plant; a thorn.
  2. noun A sharp, hard extension of the cortex and epidermis of some plants (such as roses), as distinguished from a thorn.
  3. noun A tingling sensation of mild discomfort.
  4. noun A kind of willow basket.

quill — full definition

  1. noun The hollow central shaft of a bird's feather.
  2. noun A pen made from a large feather, historically used for writing.
  3. noun One of the sharp, barbed spines on a porcupine or hedgehog.

Related French words