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# prick

verb (prick, pricks, pricked, pricking); noun (a prick, pricks)

«prick» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To make a tiny hole in something with a sharp point, like a needle or a thorn. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#m1)
2. A small sharp pain, or the tiny mark made by a sharp point. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#m2)
3. "Prick up its ears": when an animal raises its ears to listen carefully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#m3)

### In the lessons

In everyday life you can prick your finger on a rose thorn, a needle or a pin; a nurse may prick your finger to test a drop of blood. In cooking, you prick sausages or potatoes with a fork so they do not burst. In stories, a dog "pricks up its ears" when it hears a sound. Phrases: prick your finger, prick up its ears, a pin prick.

### Examples

- I pricked my finger on a rose thorn. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x1)
- Prick the potatoes with a fork before baking them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x2)
- The nurse pricked my finger to check my blood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x3)
- The dog pricked up its ears when it heard the gate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x4)
- I felt a little prick when I got the injection. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x5)
- In the fairy tale, the princess pricks her finger on a spinning wheel. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x6)
- Be careful not to prick yourself with the sewing needle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x7)
- The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/#x8)

### Note

Regular verb: prick, pricked, pricking. Countable noun: a prick, pricks. Safety: wash a finger pricked by a thorn and tell an adult if it gets red or sore; never pick up used needles. The word also has a rude slang meaning as an insult, which pupils should not use.

## In Jewish tradition

To pierce slightly with a sharp point. In the Psalms it describes sharp inner pain, as the psalmist's heart was in a ferment and he was pricked in his reins (his kidneys, meaning his inmost feelings).

**Interpretation.** The tradition reads this as the pain of a good person who is troubled to see the wicked prosper, until he understands God's ways.

### Examples

- For my heart was in a ferment, and I was pricked in my reins. (Writings PSA.73.21, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prick/#x1)

### Note

Regular verb: prick, pricked, pricking. Countable noun: a prick, pricks. Safety: wash a finger pricked by a thorn and tell an adult if it gets red or sore; never pick up used needles. The word also has a rude slang meaning as an insult, which pupils should not use.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «prick» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prick/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«prick» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/prick.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «prick» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prick/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«prick» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/prick.html) on Mova free.