Hackle Definition
hăkəl
hackled, hackles, hackling
noun
hackles
A comblike instrument for separating the fibers of flax, hemp, etc.
Webster's New World
Any of the long, slender feathers at the neck of a rooster, peacock, pigeon, etc.
Webster's New World
Such feathers, collectively.
Webster's New World
A tuft of feathers from a rooster's neck, used in making artificial flies.
Webster's New World
The hairs on a dog's neck and back that bristle, as when the dog is ready to fight.
Webster's New World
verb
hackled, hackling
To separate the fibers of (flax, hemp, etc.) with a hackle.
Webster's New World
To supply (a fishing fly) with a hackle.
Webster's New World
To cut roughly; hack; mangle.
Webster's New World
To hack.
American Heritage
idiom
get (one's) hackles up
- To be extremely insulted or irritated.
American Heritage
get one's hackles up
- to become tense with anger; bristle
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Hackle
Noun
Singular:
hackle
Plural:
hacklesIdioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Hackle
- get (one's) hackles up
- get one's hackles up
Origin of Hackle
-
Old English *hacule, *hecile, from Proto-Germanic *hakilā. Cognate with Dutch hekel, German Hechel.
From Wiktionary
Middle English hakell cloak, skin, plumage possibly from Old English hacele cloak, mantle
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Frequentative of hack
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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