Pricker
/ˈprɪkər/noun
A person or instrument that pricks, pierces, or makes small holes.
Did you know?In medieval English, a pricker could be an attendant who guided hunting hounds or horses with a pointed instrument, linking the word to the practical world of pursuit and control.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*prik-
“To prick or make a sharp point; a reconstructed Germanic root”
Old Norse
Old Norse
prikka
“To prick or mark with a point”
Middle English
Middle English
prikken
“To pierce, puncture, or stimulate with a sharp point”
14th Century
English
prikker
“A person who pricks, or an implement used for pricking”
16th Century
English
pricker
“An attendant who urged on or guided animals with a pointed tool”
Modern English
English
pricker
“A person or device used to prick or puncture”