aiguille

See also: aiguillé

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French aiguille (“needle”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.ɡwiːl/, /eɪˈɡwiːl/, /ˈeɪ.ɡwiː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.ɡwil/, /eɪˈɡwil/, /eɪˈɡwi/

Noun

aiguille (plural aiguilles)

1. A needle-shaped peak. [from 19th c.]
   • 1818, [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, →OCLC:

     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

French

Alternative forms

• aguille (obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Old French aguille, from Late Latin acūcula, diminutive of Latin acus (“needle”). Perhaps influenced phonetically by aiguiser. Compare Occitan agulha.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ.ɡɥij/, /e.ɡɥij/

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Noun

aiguille f (plural aiguilles)

1. (botany, costumery, medicine) needle

   aiguille à tricoter ― knitting needle

   de fil en aiguille ― one thing leading to another

   chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin ― to look for a needle in a haystack

   talon aiguille ― stiletto heel

2. needle (of a compass)
3. hand (of a watch)

   aiguille des secondes ― second hand

   aiguille des minutes ― minute hand

   aiguille des heure ― hour hand

   dans le sens des aiguilles d’une montre ― clockwise

4. spire (of a church)
5. (railway) point, switch

   Coordinate term: aiguillage

Derived terms

• aiguiller
• aiguillette

Related terms

• aigu
• aiguillon
• aiguiser

See also

• épingle f

Verb

aiguille

1. inflection of aiguiller:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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