nub

American  

[nuhb] / nʌb /

Or knub

noun

1. the point, gist, or heart of something.

2. a knob or protuberance.

3. a lump or small piece.

   a nub of coal; a nub of pencil.

4. a small mass of fibers produced on a card, dyed brilliant colors, and introduced into yarn during the spinning process.

---

nub British  

/ nʌb /

noun

1. a small lump or protuberance

2. a small piece or chunk

3. the point or gist

   the nub of a story

4. a small fibrous knot in yarn

---

Other Word Forms

• nubbly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of nub

1585–95; < Low German, Middle Low German knubbe; cf. knob

Explanation

A nub is a little piece of something, especially one that sticks out. The raised rubber buttons on your TV remote control are nubs. Tiny lumps or bits are nubs, like the nubs on tree branches that will become buds in the spring, or the nubs on a crocheted blanket, little woven bumps. Another kind of nub is the heart or essence of something: one incriminating piece of evidence might be the nub of a judge's decision in a case. The "lump" meaning is older, stemming from knob, while the "essence" meaning dates from the nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

The money will fund Nub Play, a streaming platform, which Pocket Gods said would guarantee to pay artists and songwriters a minimum of 1p per stream.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2022

Not many people know that Nub Nelson’s real first name is Michael.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2021

At Colquitt, he told Nub Nelson, boosters sweetened his salary with an additional $4,500 a month, picking up his truck and cellphone payments and part of his mortgage.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2021

Nub of the trouble was that the U.S. and Mexico had never been able to agree on a definition of territorial waters.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Not so sure of dat, sir,” said Nub.

From The South Sea Whaler by Groome, William H. C.

Related Words

• crux
• upshot