nieve

¹ American  

[neev, neef] / niv, nif /

noun

1. Archaic Northern British and Scot. Dialect. a clenched or closed hand; fist.

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nieve ² American  

adjective

1. a frequent misspelling of naive.

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nieve British  

/ niːv /

noun

1. dialect the closed hand; fist

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Etymology

Origin of nieve

First recorded in 1275–1325; from Old Norse hnefi, of uncertain ultimate origin; cognate with Danish næve, Swedish näve

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nieve

“La nieve, la nieve!” he called out on a recent Saturday as potential customers strolled by his 16 vats of ice cream.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2023

All those who come hunting for piñatas tend to get swept up in the show — in the birria from Jalisco, pupusas from El Salvador, nieve from Oaxaca, guasanas from Michoacan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2019

She'll shake her nieve and rug her hair, And wonder how she e'er gaed wi' me!

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 12 by Various

He hasna as muckle sense as a cow could haud in her faulded nieve.

From The Proverbs of Scotland by Alexander Hislop

The close connexion between the terms is well illustrated by the early use of nativa, nieve, 'as a feminine to villanus.'

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Paul Vinogradoff