nib

[nib]

See more synonyms for nib on Thesaurus.com

noun

the point of a pen, or either of its divisions.
a penpoint for insertion into a penholder.
a point of anything: a cutting tool with a diamond nib.

a bill or beak, as of a bird; neb.
any pointed extremity.
Metallurgy.
1. a piece of sintered tungsten carbide used as a die for drawing wire or the like.
2. (in powder metallurgy) a compact at any stage of its manufacture.

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

Related formsnib·like, adjective

nibs

[nibz]

noun

his/her nibs, Informal: Often Facetious. a person in authority, especially one who is demanding and tyrannical: His nibs wants fresh strawberries in December.

Origin of nibs

First recorded in 1815–25; origin uncertain

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

Related Words for nib

stick, marker, snout, hue, tint, tone, coloration, vestige, relic, speck, particle, whiff, fragment, smell, hint, element, strain, touch, remnant, shred

Examples from the Web for nib

Contemporary Examples of nib

When the cocoa beans are roasted, their shells crack to expose the nib, which is then ground into a thick paste.
Four Chocolate Questions Answered
Mary Goodbody
September 29, 2009

Historical Examples of nib

That should teach him to get rid of the nasty habit of sucking the nib.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 1, 1916
Various
I've always looked up to you as a bit of a nib and wished I was like you.
Jill the Reckless
P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
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
For finer writing the pen should be cut with a longer slope in the nib.
Lessons in the Art of Illuminating
W. J. Loftie

British Dictionary definitions for nib

nib

noun

the writing point of a pen, esp an insertable tapered metal part with a split tip
a point, tip, or beak
(plural) crushed cocoa beans

verb nibs, nibbing or nibbed (tr)

to provide with a nib
to prepare or sharpen the nib of

Derived Formsniblike, adjective

Word Origin for nib

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

nibs

noun

his nibs (functioning as singular) slang a mock title used of someone in authority

Word Origin for nibs

C19: of unknown origin

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 nib

1580s, "beak or bill of a bird," Scottish variant of Old English neb (see neb). Meaning "point" (of a pen or quill) first recorded 1610s.

nibs

especially in His Nibs "boss, employer, self-important person," 1821, of unknown origin; perhaps a variant of nob "person of high position."

nib in Medicine

nib

[nĭb]

The smooth or serrated portion of a dental instrument that comes into contact with restorative material being condensed.