v.
- press briefly or puncture with a sharp point.
▸
(prick something out)
draw or decorate by making small holes in a surface.
- feel a sensation as though a sharp point were sticking into one.
▸cause mental or emotional discomfort to.
-
(often prick up)
(chiefly of a horse or dog) make (the ears) stand erect when on the alert.
-
(prick something out)
plant seedlings in small holes made in the earth.
n.
- an act of pricking something.
▸a small hole or mark made by pricking.
- a sharp pain caused by being pierced with a fine point.
▸a sudden feeling of distress, anxiety, etc.
▸archaic a goad for oxen.
- vulgar slang a man's penis.
▸a stupid, unpleasant, or contemptible man.
Phrase
- kick against the pricks
hurt oneself by persisting in useless resistance or protest.
[with biblical allusion to Acts 9:5.]
Derivative
Etymology
OE pricca (n.), prician (v.), prob. of W. Gmc origin.