nounverb

la aiguille

needle

C'est un objet fin et pointu, souvent en métal, utilisé pour coudre ou pour indiquer l'heure sur une montre.

Aiguille is a feminine French noun meaning “needle.”

Its main meanings are:

A sewing or medical needle: a thin, pointed object used for sewing, injecting, or piercing.
- une aiguille à coudre — a sewing needle
- une aiguille médicale — a medical needle
The hand of a measuring instrument, especially a clock, watch, gauge, or compass.
- l’aiguille d’une montre — the hand of a watch
- l’aiguille d’un compteur — the needle of a meter
A sharp, pointed mountain peak or rock formation, especially in the Alps.
- une aiguille rocheuse — a rocky spire
A needle-shaped object or structure, such as a pine needle or a crystal.

It can also refer to a needle used in knitting or, in a nautical context, the magnetic needle of a compass.

The word comes from Old French aguille, ultimately from Latin acucula, meaning “small needle,” derived from acus, “needle.”

The appropriate synonym depends on the meaning:

pointe — a point or pointed tip; broader than aiguille and not necessarily a thin, needle-like object.
épingle — a pin; generally shorter and often used to fasten things rather than sew.
anse — a clock or watch hand in some contexts, though aiguille is much more common for instrument hands.
sommet — a summit or peak; less specific than aiguille when describing a very sharp mountain peak.
pic — a sharp mountain peak; often close in meaning to the mountain sense of aiguille.

There is no single direct antonym. Depending on the context, possible contrasts include:

une aiguille à coudre [?](vocabuo://word/une aiguille à coudre) — a sewing needle
une aiguille à tricoter [?](vocabuo://word/une aiguille à tricoter) — a knitting needle
une aiguille hypodermique [?](vocabuo://word/une aiguille hypodermique) — a hypodermic needle
l’aiguille d’une montre [?](vocabuo://word/l’aiguille d’une montre) — the hand of a watch
l’aiguille d’une boussole [?](vocabuo://word/l’aiguille d’une boussole) — the needle of a compass
être sur le fil du rasoir [?](vocabuo://word/être sur le fil du rasoir) — literally “to be on the razor’s edge”; an idiom meaning to be in a very delicate or dangerous situation
chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin [?](vocabuo://word/chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin) — to look for a needle in a haystack; to search for something extremely difficult to find