nettle

/ˈne-tᵊl/

Middle English, from Old English netel; akin to Old High German nazza nettle, Greek adikē

noun

  1. any of a genus (Urtica of the family Urticaceae, the nettle family) of chiefly coarse herbs armed with stinging hairs

  2. any of various prickly or stinging plants other than the true nettles (genus Urtica)

… legs, which smarted from the stings of nettles …

verb

  1. to strike or sting with or as if with nettles

  2. to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger

irritate exasperate nettle provoke rile peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance. irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage. exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.

noun

  1. hives