prick·le / ˈprikəl/ • n. a short, slender, sharp-pointed outgrowth on the bark or epidermis of a plant; a small thorn: the prickles of the blackberry bushes. ∎  a small spine or pointed outgrowth on the skin of certain animals. ∎  a tingling sensation on someone's skin, typically caused by strong emotion: Kathleen felt a prickle of excitement.• v. [intr.] (of a person's skin or a part of the body) experience a tingling sensation, esp. as a result of strong emotion: the sound made her skin prickle with horror. ∎  [tr.] cause a tingling or mildly painful sensation in: I hate the way the fibers prickle your skin. ∎  (of a person) react defensively or angrily to something: she prickled at the implication that she had led a soft and protected life.

prickle † goad OE.; sharp pointed excrescence of the epidermis of a plant. XV. OE. pricel, later form of pricels, f. base of PRICK (see -LE1); corr. to MLG., MDu. prickel, prēkel (Du. prikkel).
Hence prickly XVI.

prickle A hard sharp protective outgrowth, many of which may cover the surface of a plant. It contains cortical and vascular tissue and is not regarded as an epidermal outgrowth. Compare spine; thorn.