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neb

[neb]
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noun Scot.
  1. a bill or beak, as of a bird.
  2. the nose, especially of an animal.
  3. the tip or pointed end of anything.
  4. the nib of a pen.
  5. Obsolete. a person's mouth.
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Origin of neb

before 900; Middle English nebbe, Old English nebb, cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German nebbe, Old Norse nef. See nib

Neb.

  1. Nebraska.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

snouttopedgedeadlinetermpointmuzzleproboscisprojectionnozzlebillprownibnebmandiblepeckerstumptipboundstub

Examples from the Web for neb

Historical Examples

  • Neb then thought of employing Jup, and confiding a note to him.

    The Secret of the Island

    W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)

  • They had no news from Neb, but were not uneasy on that account.

    The Secret of the Island

    W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)

  • “As Neb says, I should just like to ketch yer at it,” roared Blane.

    Sail Ho!

    George Manville Fenn

  • Rayther hot in there, sir, and Neb had swallowed up all the fresh air there was.

    Sail Ho!

    George Manville Fenn

  • “Hold your tongue, Neb, and let the doctor tie you up,” growled Bob Hampton.

    Sail Ho!

    George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for neb

neb

noun archaic, or dialect
  1. mainly Scot and Northern English the peak of a cap
  2. the beak of a bird or the nose or snout of an animal
  3. a person's mouth or nose
  4. the projecting part or end of anything
    1. a peak, esp in N England
    2. a prominent gritstone overhang
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Word Origin

Old English nebb; related to Old Norse nef, Old High German snabul (German Schnabel)

NEB

abbreviation for
  1. New English Bible
  2. (the former) National Enterprise Board
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for neb

n.

"beak or bill of a bird," Old English nebb "beak, nose; face, countenance; beak-shaped thing," common Germanic (cf. Old Norse nef "beak, nose," Middle Dutch nebbe "beak," Old High German snabul, German Schnabel "beak," Old Frisian snavel "mouth"), of uncertain origin.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper