Source etymology 1
Original entry ↗A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment. · A notch cut crosswise in the shank of a type, to assist a compositor in placing it properly in the stick, and in distribution. · A small deflection of the ball off the edge of the bat, often going to the wicket-keeper for a catch. · One of the single-stranded DNA segments produced during nick translation.
To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way. · To make ragged or uneven, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to deface, to mar. · To make a crosscut or cuts on the underside of (the tail of a horse, in order to make the animal carry it higher). · To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with.
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.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 9 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
{
"templates": [
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "nik",
"4": "",
"5": "notch, tally; nock of an arrow"
},
"expansion": "Middle English nik (“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”)"
},
{
"name": "unknown",
"args": {
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"title": "further etymology is unknown"
},
"expansion": "further etymology is unknown"
},
{
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"args": {
"1": "1"
},
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{
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"2": "nikke",
"3": "",
"4": "to nod"
},
"expansion": "Danish nikke (“to nod”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "dum",
"2": "nicken",
"3": "",
"4": "to bend; to bow"
},
"expansion": "Middle Dutch nicken (“to bend; to bow”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
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"1": "nl",
"2": "knikken",
"3": "",
"4": "to nod"
},
"expansion": "Dutch knikken (“to nod”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
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"3": "",
"4": "to bend over; to sink"
},
"expansion": "Middle Low German nicken (“to bend over; to sink”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "gmh",
"2": "nicken",
"3": "",
"4": "to bend; to depress"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German nicken (“to bend; to depress”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "nicken",
"3": "",
"4": "to nod"
},
"expansion": "German nicken (“to nod”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "gml",
"2": "knicken",
"3": "",
"4": "to bend; to snap"
},
"expansion": "Middle Low German knicken (“to bend; to snap”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "knicken",
"3": "",
"4": "to bend; to break"
},
"expansion": "German knicken (“to bend; to break”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
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"3": "",
"4": "to nod"
},
"expansion": "Old Frisian hnekka (“to nod”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "sv",
"2": "nicka",
"3": "",
"4": "to nod"
},
"expansion": "Swedish nicka (“to nod”)"
},
{
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},
"expansion": "²"
}
],
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[
"nik",
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[
"nikke",
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[
"nicken",
"nicken#Middle_Dutch"
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[
"knikken",
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[
"nicken",
"nicken#Middle_Low_German"
],
[
"nicken",
"nicken#Middle_High_German"
],
[
"nicken",
"nicken#German"
],
[
"knicken",
"knicken#Middle_Low_German"
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[
"knicken",
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],
[
"hnekka",
"hnekka#Old_Frisian"
],
[
"nicka",
"nicka#Swedish"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "noun",
"glosses": [
"A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.",
"A notch cut crosswise in the shank of a type, to assist a compositor in placing it properly in the stick, and in distribution.",
"A small deflection of the ball off the edge of the bat, often going to the wicket-keeper for a catch.",
"One of the single-stranded DNA segments produced during nick translation."
],
"tags": [
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"sourceRecordOrdinal": 123650
},
{
"pos": "verb",
"glosses": [
"To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way.",
"To make ragged or uneven, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to deface, to mar.",
"To make a crosscut or cuts on the underside of (the tail of a horse, in order to make the animal carry it higher).",
"To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with."
],
"tags": [
"transitive",
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],
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}