having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc ; "a horse with a short bristly mane"; "bristly shrubs"; "burred fruits"; "setaceous whiskers"
a stiff hair a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament); natural or synthetic rise up as in fear; "The dog's fur bristled"; "It was a sight to make one's hair uprise!
Bristles are the short hairs that grow on a man's chin after he has shaved. The hairs on the top of a man's head can also be called bristles when they are cut very short. two days' growth of bristles = stubble
The best quality bristles come from a strip running across the backs of wild hogs in Chungking Province, China Bristle hairs are stiff and coarse with natural curve and have a V-shaped split end called a "flagged tip" Brushes formed with the flags turning into (or interlocked with) the ferrule offer the most spring, shape retention and control Bristle brushes are best suited for oils and acrylics
The bristles of a brush are the thick hairs or hair-like pieces of plastic which are attached to it. As soon as the bristles on your toothbrush begin to wear, throw it out