French

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Etymology

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From Vulgar Latin *ericiare, from erīcius.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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hérisser

  1. (of an animal) to bristle, ruffle (feathers, fur etc.)
    • 1856, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary:
      La pluie ne tombait plus; le jour commençait à venir, et, sur les branches des pommiers sans feuilles, des oiseaux se tenaient immobiles, hérissant leurs petites plumes au vent froid du matin.
      The rain was no longer falling; the day was starting to dawn, and, on the leafless branches of the apple trees, the birds were still, ruffling their small feathers in the cold morning wind.
    • Joachim du Bellay, les regrets
      Je sens venir l'hiver, de qui la froide haleine / une tremblante horreur fait hérisser ma peau.
  2. to spike; to form spikes in
  3. (colloquial) to get somebody's back up

Conjugation

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Further reading

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