acicula
noun
acic·u·la
ə-ˈsi-kyə-lə
plural aciculae
ə-ˈsi-kyə-ˌlē,
-ˌlī
or aciculas : a needlelike spine, bristle, or crystal
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, going back to Late Latin acicula, acucula "small needle, small pin for a headdress,", from Latin acu-, stem of acus "needle" (going back to Indo-European *h2eḱ-u- "pointed") + -cula, diminutive suffix
First Known Use
1784, in the meaning defined above