aculeate (adj.)

c. 1600, figurative, "pointed, stinging," of writing, from Latin aculeatus "having a sting; thorny, prickly," also figurative, from aculeus "a sting, prickle," diminutive of acus "a needle," from PIE root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce." From 1660s in a literal sense, in zoology, "furnished with a sting;" 1870 in botany.