nick

English Online Dictionary. What means nick‎? What does nick mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /nɪk/
• Homophones: nic, Nick
• Rhymes: -ɪk

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Late Middle English nik (“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”). Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (“notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks”) has not been clearly established.

The verb appears to be derived from the noun, though the available evidence shows that some of the verb senses predate the noun senses. No connection with words in Germanic languages such as Danish nikke (“to nod”), Middle Dutch nicken (“to bend; to bow”) (modern Dutch knikken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German nicken (“to bend over; to sink”), Middle High German nicken (“to bend; to depress”) (modern German nicken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German knicken (“to bend; to snap”) (modern German knicken (“to bend; to break”), Old Frisian hnekka (“to nod”), and Swedish nicka (“to nod”), has been clearly established.

Noun

nick (plural nicks)

1. A small cut in a surface.
   1. (now rare) A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
   2. (printing, dated) A notch cut crosswise in the shank of a type, to assist a compositor in placing it properly in the stick, and in distribution.
2. Senses connoting something small.
   1. (cricket) A small deflection of the ball off the edge of the bat, often going to the wicket-keeper for a catch.
   2. (genetics) One of the single-stranded DNA segments produced during nick translation.
   3. (real tennis, squash, racquetball) The point where the wall of the court meets the floor.
3. (British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth, colloquial) Often in the expressions in bad nick and in good nick: condition, state.
4. (British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth, law enforcement, slang) A police station or prison.

Usage notes

• The sense "a particular place or point" or "a critical moment" still exists in the still-common expression in the nick of time.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

nick (third-person singular simple present nicks, present participle nicking, simple past and past participle nicked)

1. (transitive) To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way.
   1. (transitive) To make ragged or uneven, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to deface, to mar.
   2. (transitive, rare) To make a crosscut or cuts on the underside of (the tail of a horse, in order to make the animal carry it higher).
2. (transitive, obsolete) To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with.
   1. (transitive, sometimes figurative) To hit at, or in, the nick; to touch rightly; to strike at the precise point or time.
   2. (transitive, cricket) To hit the ball with the edge of the bat and produce a fine deflection.
   3. (transitive, gaming) To throw or turn up (a number when playing dice); to hit upon.
3. (transitive, mining) To make a cut at the side of the face.
4. (transitive, British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth, slang) To steal.
5. (transitive, British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth, law enforcement, slang) To arrest.

Derived terms

• nick off
• nicker
• nicking (noun)

Translations

Etymology 2

From nick(name).

Noun

nick (plural nicks)

1. (Internet) Clipping of nickname.

Verb

nick (third-person singular simple present nicks, present participle nicking, simple past and past participle nicked)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To give or call (someone) by a nickname; to style.

Etymology 3

A variant of nix or nixie.

Noun

nick (plural nicks)

1. (archaic) A nix or nixie (“water spirit”).

References

Further reading

• nick (DNA) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• nick (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• CKIN

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɪk

Verb

nick

1. singular imperative of nicken
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of nicken

Kashubian

Pronoun

nick

1. nothing

Further reading

• “nick”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “nic”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English nick(name).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɲik/
• Rhymes: -ik
• Syllabification: nick

Noun

nick m inan

1. (Internet) nickname (familiar, invented given name)

Declension

Further reading

• nick in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• nick in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Swedish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

nick c

1. nod (movement of the head to indicate agreement)
2. header (in football)

Declension

Synonyms

• (header):: nickning c
• (nod):: nickning c

Derived terms

• nickedocka
• nicka
• nicka till

Etymology 2

From the English nickname.

Noun

nick n

1. (slang) nick, nickname

Declension