nick
pronunciation
How to pronounce nick in British English:
UK [nɪk]
How to pronounce nick in American English:
US [nɪk]
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- Noun:
- an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)
- a small cut
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- Verb:
- cut slightly, with a razor
- cut a nick into
- divide or reset the tail muscles of
- mate successfully; of livestock
Word Origin
- nick (n.)
- "notch, groove, slit," late 15c., nyke, of unknown origin, possibly influenced by Middle French niche (see niche), or from it. Nick of time is first attested 1640s (nick of opportunity is 1610s), possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making notches on a tally stick, though nick in the general sense of "critical moment" is older (1570s, Hanmer, who adds "as commonly we say") than the phrase.
- nick (v.)
- 1520s, "to make a notch in," from nick (n.). Sense of "to steal" is from 1869, probably from earlier slang sense of "to catch, take unawares, arrest" (1620s). The precise sense connection is unclear. Related: Nicked; nicking.
- Nick
- masc. proper name, familiar form of Nicholas. As "the devil" by 1640s, but the reason for it is obscure.
Synonym
Example
- 1. Nearly headless nick came gliding out of a classroom .
- 2. A very small nick may be made in your skin to make it easier to pass the rfa electrode into your liver .
- 3. Nick clegg and other lib dem ministers share this analysis .
- 4. Nick walked behind his friend wu yang to a big round table .
- 5. Whenever there 's a nick or hairline crack in an insulation sheath , the electrical field in the underlying copper subtly shifts .