pricking meaning
EN
[ˈpɹɪkɪŋ] WPricking
- During the height of the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, common belief held that a witch could be discovered through the process of pricking their skin with needles,
- This practice derived from the belief that all witches and sorcerers bore a witch's mark that would not feel pain or bleed when pricked. The mark alone was not enough to convict a person, but did add to the evidence.
- NounPLprickingsSUF-ing
- The act of piercing or puncturing with a sharp point.
- A sensation that pricks.
- the prickings of conscience
- The driving of a nail into a horse's foot so as to produce lameness.
- (mining) A nicking.
- The mark or trace left by a hare's foot; a prick.
- The act of tracing a hare by its footmarks.
- (obsolete) Dressing oneself for show; prinking.
- The act of piercing or puncturing with a sharp point.
- Verb
- More Examples
- Used in the Middle of Sentence
- and it is vulgarly well knowen that thornes signifie stinging and pricking cares. — King James VI and I
- Used in the Middle of Sentence
Definition of pricking in English Dictionary
- Part-of-Speech Hierarchy
- Nouns
- Countable nouns
- Countable nouns
- Verbs
- Verb forms
- Participles
- Present participles
- Present participles
- Participles
- Verb forms
- Nouns
- en prickings
- en pricking-up
Source: Wiktionary
Grammatically, this word "pricking" is a noun, more specifically, a countable noun. It's also a verb, more specifically, a verb form.