bristle vs spicule

bristle

noun
  • A chaeta: an analogous filament on arthropods, annelids, or other animals. 

  • The hairs or other filaments that make up a brush, broom, or similar item, typically made from plant cellulose, animal hairs, or synthetic polymers. 

  • A stiff or coarse hair, usually and especially on a nonhuman mammal. 

verb
  • To rise or stand erect, like bristles. 

  • To fix a bristle to. 

  • To be on one's guard or raise one's defenses; to react with fear, suspicion, or distance. 

  • To abound, to have an abundance of something, especially something jutting out. 

spicule

noun
  • Any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges. 

  • A needle-like mating structure found only in male nematodes. 

  • A sharp, needle-like piece. 

  • A tiny glass flake formed during the manufacture of glass vials 

  • A small spike of flowers. 

  • A jet of matter ejected from the photosphere of the sun. 

How often have the words bristle and spicule occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )