nib

[ nib ]
See synonyms for nib on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the point of a pen, or either of its divisions.

  2. a penpoint for insertion into a penholder.

  1. a point of anything: a cutting tool with a diamond nib.

  2. a bill or beak, as of a bird; neb.

  3. any pointed extremity.

  4. Metallurgy.

    • a piece of sintered tungsten carbide used as a die for drawing wire or the like.

    • (in powder metallurgy) a compact at any stage of its manufacture.

Origin of nib

1
1575–85; perhaps variant of neb; compare Dutch nib,Middle Low German nibbe (variant of nebbe) beak, Old Norse nibba sharp point. See nibble

Other words from nib

  • niblike, adjective

Words Nearby nib

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nib in a sentence

  • It might not be safe to kill him; but it would be safe enough to kill nib.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • They wrangled together for a few minutes, and then nib was handed over.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • Jud drew nib closer, and turned, if possible, a trifle paler.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • "Stopped to nib a quill after lunch," grumbled the director of the Arnold Academie, as he gave Robert a pump-handle squeeze.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for nib

nib

/ (nɪb) /


noun
  1. the writing point of a pen, esp an insertable tapered metal part with a split tip

  2. a point, tip, or beak

  1. (plural) crushed cocoa beans

verbnibs, nibbing or nibbed (tr)
  1. to provide with a nib

  2. to prepare or sharpen the nib of

Origin of nib

1
C16 (in the sense: beak): origin obscure; compare Northern German nibbe tip. See neb, nibble

Derived forms of nib

  • niblike, adjective

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