gooseflesh
/ˈɡuːsflɛʃ
/noun [mass noun]
A pimply state of the skin with the hairs erect, produced by cold or fright.Seemingly knowing she was petrified, he removed his grasp, let his hand slide up her arm to tangle with her hair, and Linden felt gooseflesh prickle her skin....
- I look at his smooth black hair, smooth light-brown skin with no gooseflesh, and the ugly naked wood of his kitchen.
- Her hand caressed his neck, then her fingers stroked up through his hair in a way that caused a tingle to travel all the way down his spine, his skin breaking out in gooseflesh as he shuddered in reaction.
Origin
Early 19th century: so named because the skin resembles that of a plucked goose.