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stinging nettle

stinging nettle

1 4.6
A plant with leaves that have tiny hairs which make your skin feel hot and sore when touched
  • noun
  • /ˈstɪŋɪŋ ˈnɛtəl/
translation icon : ortiga
  • After brushing against some stinging nettle, I had to apply cream to soothe the itchy rash.

The one that few years back people were claiming could reduce SHBG was stinging nettle.

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Examples

  • Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) contains boron, which may be helpful for arthritis pain.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I mean Urtica dioica, the stinging nettle.

    Academic text (1992)
  • - Be careful of stinging nettles.

  • Though she would have to exercise care while they were fresh, the stinging nettle leaves would be delicious when cooked.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • There were also bundles of dried leaves, stems, and roots of the stinging nettle.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Trudging through the outskirts of town, my bare legs kept hopping through the high grass filled with stinging nettles.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A distant kinsman applies stinging nettle to the elbows and knees of the surviving kinsmen, and the mourners wash and groom.

    Academic text (1992)
  • (a) Changes in the abundance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) from 1978 to 1998, documented by the Countryside Survey, have been associated with increased infertility in uplands.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Be careful of stinging nettle when walking through the garden; its leaves can cause skin irritation.

  • The chef added chopped stinging nettle leaves to the soup for extra flavor, being cautious of its sting.

Synonyms

nettle
vsstinging nettle
9 5.5

A plant with hairs that sting and make your skin hurt when you touch it

is the specific Eurasian perennial species rather than the general group
Urtica dioica
vsstinging nettle
  • Specialized
8.7

A plant that lives for many years with broad toothed leaves and stinging hairs that can irritate skin

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific species label

How Prickly

cactus
69 1.8
bull nettle
  • US
9.9
stinging nettle
1 4.6
mint
108 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

stinging + nettle

The meaning ('a nettle that causes a stinging sensation') is directly and transparently derived from 'stinging' (causing a sharp, irritating sensation) + 'nettle' (the plant). This adjective+noun compound follows a regular compositional pattern common across languages, so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Stinging nettle is named for the tiny hairs on its leaves. When you brush the stinging nettle, the hairs break the skin and 'sting' you, often leaving a burning 'rash', so the name tells you the plant can hurt your skin.