*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nub

Either directly from Middle Low German, or from knub, from a Middle Low German word (compare Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)). Compare knob.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The innermost section of a chrysalis in a silk cocoon. · A small knob or lump. · The essence or core of an issue, argument etc. · The clitoris.

verb

To hit the ball weakly. · To push; to nudge. · To beckon. · To extemporize a passage of Shakespearean blank verse

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Either directly from Middle Low German, or from knub, from a Middle Low German word (compare Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)). Compare knob.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 3 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.

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      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "Knubbel",
        "3": "Knubbel, Knobbel",
        "4": "knot; lump"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)"
    }
  ],
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      "Knubbel#Low_German"
    ],
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      "knob#English"
    ]
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        "The clitoris."
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      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative spelling of noob.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Alternative form.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
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      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Acronym of new underway bitch or non-useful body (“an underqualified crewmember, generally regarded as inexperienced and unhelpful”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Acronym.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "Acronym of new underway bitch or non-useful body (“an underqualified crewmember, generally regarded as inexperienced and unhelpful”)."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nub →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bnVi