Webster's 1828 Dictionary
ACULEATE
a.[L. aculeus, from acus, Gr. a point, and the diminutive. See Acid. ] 1. In botany, having prickles, or sharp points; pointed; used chiefly to denote prickles fixed in the bark, in distinction from thorns, which grow from the wood.
2. In zoology, having a sting.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
ACULEATE
A *cu "le *ate, a. Etym: [L. aculeatus, fr. aculeus, dim. of acus needle. ]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having a sting; covered with prickles; sharp like a prickle.
2. (Bot. )
Defn: Having prickles, or sharp points; beset with prickles.
3. Severe or stinging; incisive. [R.] Bacon.
ACULEATED
ACULEATED A *cu "le *a `ted, a.
Defn: Having a sharp point; armed with prickles; prickly; aculeate.
New American Oxford Dictionary
aculeate
a cu le ate |əˈkyo͞olēət, -ˌāt əˈkjuliət | ▶adjective 1 Entomology (of an insect ) having a sting. 2 Entomology sharply pointed; prickly. ▶noun Entomology a stinging insect of a group that includes the bees, wasps, and ants. [Section Aculeata, suborder Apocrita, order Hymenoptera. ] ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin aculeatus, from aculeus ‘a sting, ’ diminutive of acus ‘needle. ’
Oxford Dictionary
aculeate
aculeate |əˈkjuːlɪət | ▶adjective 1 Entomology (of an insect ) having a sting. 2 Entomology sharply pointed; prickly. ▶noun Entomology a stinging insect of a group that includes the bees, wasps, and ants. ●Section Aculeata, suborder Apocrita, order Hymenoptera. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin aculeatus, from aculeus ‘a sting ’, diminutive of acus ‘needle ’.
The Wordsmith Dictionary