pricking

/ˈprɪkɪŋ/
verb
  1. Present participle of prickle; causing a tingling or stinging sensation.
    • The cold wind was pricking at her cheeks as she walked home.
    • The wool sweater was pricking her arms, so she changed into a cotton shirt.
    • His conscience was pricking him after he told the lie.
noun
  1. A slight, sharp pain or sensation like that of a small point piercing the skin.
    • She felt a pricking in her finger after touching the cactus.
    • The pricking of the needle made him flinch during the vaccination.
    • A sudden pricking in his side warned him he had run too far.
  2. The act or process of making small holes or marks with a sharp point.
    • The pricking of the leather helped the cobbler sew the pieces together.
    • Pricking the pattern into the clay was the first step in making the pottery.
    • The gardener used a tool for pricking the soil to aerate it.
What does "pricking" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean