Plants with stinging hairs on their leaves that cause irritation if touched, or to annoy and irritate someone.
From Old English 'netele,' related to German 'Nessel.' The plant name comes from its use in making nets. The verb meaning 'to irritate' evolved metaphorically from the physical stinging sensation.
Nettles are actually nutritious and were historically eaten as greens—the Romans used them as a vegetable! The word's evolution from a plant to meaning 'annoyance' shows how physical sensations become emotional metaphors in language.
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