Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

nick

/nɪk/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nick at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A small cut in a surface. A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
in the nick of time
A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
in the nick of time
A notch cut crosswise in the shank of a type, to assist a compositor in placing it properly in the stick, and in distribution.

verb

To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way.
I nicked myself while I was shaving.
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).

noun

Clipping of nickname.
a user’s reserved nick on an IRC network

verb

To give or call (someone) by a nickname; to style.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word