hackles

hack-les · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    The erectile hairs along the back of a dog or other animal, which rise when the animal is angry or alarmed.

  2. 2.

    (Figurative) Used in expressions relating to anger or defensiveness.

  3. 3.

    The long, slender feathers on the neck of a domestic rooster or other bird.

Forms

plural: hackles

Related words

See also: anger, bristle, feather
Synonyms: bristles, neck feathers

Etymology

From Middle English hakele, from Old English hacele "cloak, mantle," related to the feathers resembling a cloak.