nib
Americannoun
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the point of a pen, or either of its divisions.
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a penpoint for insertion into a penholder.
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a point of anything.
a cutting tool with a diamond nib.
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a bill or beak, as of a bird; neb.
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any pointed extremity.
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Metallurgy.
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a piece of sintered tungsten carbide used as a die for drawing wire or the like.
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(in powder metallurgy) a compact at any stage of its manufacture.
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noun
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the writing point of a pen, esp an insertable tapered metal part with a split tip
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a point, tip, or beak
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(plural) crushed cocoa beans
verb
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to provide with a nib
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to prepare or sharpen the nib of
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nib
1575–85; perhaps variant of neb; compare Dutch nib, Middle Low German nibbe (variant of nebbe ) beak, Old Norse nibba sharp point. See nibble
Explanation
A nib is the point of a thing, such as a spear. More commonly it means the point of a pen, especially a fountain pen. Before ball points were invented, a common student problem was a pen with a broken nib. The word nib comes from a 16th century word meaning the beak of a bird. In more modern times, nib has come to refer to the pieces of the cocoa bean that remain after it has been hulled, roasted, and crushed. Cocoa nibs are the very essence of what we think as chocolate, and yet, ironically, the cocoa nib needs sugar and cocoa butter to temper its bitterness.
Vocabulary lists containing nib
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Price: $27 Goulet Pens The Nib Smith Octopus Charging Cable We dare you to find a cuter multi-connector charging cable.
From The Verge • Apr. 28, 2022
“You don’t notice the red flags as easily, if at all,” says Guerra, who publishes on the Nib and to her social media accounts.
From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2021
You’ve drawn for the Onion and the Nib and more, but also for the Boston Globe and the Village Voice.
From Slate • Dec. 16, 2020
After my usual coffee date with the pugs, I spend a few hours drawing the final artwork for my comic on The Nib on my tablet.
From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2020
Jud bent down to pat Nib himself, not without a touch of pride in his manifold injuries, and the readiness with which they were attested.
From That Lass O' Lowrie's 1877 by Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
