Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A rough condition of the skin, resembling that of a plucked goose, caused by the contraction of the erector muscles of the superficial hairs (arrectores pilorum), and induced by cold, fear, and other exciting causes. Also called goose-skin (and in New Latin cutis anserina). See horripilation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A peculiar roughness of the skin produced by cold or fear, in which the hair follicles become erect and form bumps on the skin; -- called also goose skin, goose pimples, goose bumps.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative spelling of goose flesh.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun reflex erection of hairs of the skin in response to cold or emotional stress or skin irritation

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The vasoconstriction called gooseflesh meant his skin had begun sealing itself tighter to keep body heat in, stop blood flow to his periphery, where heat evaporated faster, and preserve it around his core organs.

    Time Was Perry, Steve 1998

  • Not the kind of gooseflesh that geese have, but the kind of gooseflesh that people get.

    Warning Signs White, Stephen, 1951- 2002

  • Not the kind of gooseflesh that geese have, but the kind of gooseflesh that people get.

    Warning Signs White, Stephen, 1951- 2002

  • Not the kind of gooseflesh that geese have, but the kind of gooseflesh that people get.

    Warning Signs White, Stephen, 1951- 2002

  • I confess I felt a species of "gooseflesh" creeping over me.

    Mexico Its Ancient and Modern Civilisation, History, Political Conditions, Topography, Natural Resources, Industries and General Development Martin [Editor] Hume 1919

  • The thrill of it is dancing through me, I feel like gooseflesh.

    In the Flesh DJ Young 2011

  • Did you just sigh knowingly or feel your skin turn to gooseflesh or remember something about your own life experience that resonates with what those girls and their father expressed?

    The 7 Glenn Beck 2011

  • Did you just sigh knowingly or feel your skin turn to gooseflesh or remember something about your own life experience that resonates with what those girls and their father expressed?

    The 7 Glenn Beck 2011

  • I wished that the skirt was a little bit longer, to hide the quivering gooseflesh on my legs.

    The Dark Side of Innocence Terri Cheney 2011

  • At last, when the gooseflesh was pimpling her arms, she shut the water off and wrapped herself in her warmest bathrobe.

    Choker Elizabeth Woods 2011

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