aiguille

See also: aiguillé

Englisch

Etymology

Borrowed from French aiguille (“needle”).

Pronunciation

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.ɡwiː/, /ˈeɪ.ɡwɪl/

Nomen

aiguille (plural aiguilles)

1. A needle-shaped peak. [from 19th c.]
   • 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein:

     Mont Blanc, the supreme and magnificent Mont Blanc, raised itself from the surrounding aiguilles, and its tremendous dome overlooked the valley.

2. An instrument for boring holes, used in blasting.

Related terms

• aglet

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French

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) aguille
• (nonstandard) aigüille, aiguïlle

Etymology

From Old French aguille, from Vulgar Latin *acūcla < *acūcula, diminutive of Latin acus (“needle”). Perhaps influenced phonetically by aiguiser.

• Cognate with Italian agucchia, Portuguese agulha, Spanish aguja

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.ɡɥij/, /ɛ.ɡɥij/ ~ /e.ɡɥij/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  audio:

  (file)

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  Audio (Paris):

  (file)

Nomen

aiguille f (plural aiguilles)

1. (botany, costumery, medicine) needle
2. needle (of compass); hand (of watch); spire (of church)
3. (railway) point (UK), switch (US)

Derived terms

• aiguille à tricoter
• aiguiller
• aiguillette, aiglet
• de fil en aiguille ("one thing leading to another")

Related terms

• aigu
• aiguillon
• aiguiser

See also

• épingle f

Verb

aiguille

1. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) first-person singular present indicative of aiguiller
2. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) third-person singular present indicative of aiguiller
3. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) first-person singular present subjunctive of aiguiller
4. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) first-person singular present subjunctive of aiguiller
5. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) second-person singular imperative of aiguiller

Further reading

• “aiguille”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.