nib
Americannoun
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the point of a pen, or either of its divisions.
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a penpoint for insertion into a penholder.
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a point of anything.
a cutting tool with a diamond nib.
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a bill or beak, as of a bird; neb.
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any pointed extremity.
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Metallurgy.
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a piece of sintered tungsten carbide used as a die for drawing wire or the like.
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(in powder metallurgy) a compact at any stage of its manufacture.
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noun
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the writing point of a pen, esp an insertable tapered metal part with a split tip
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a point, tip, or beak
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(plural) crushed cocoa beans
verb
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to provide with a nib
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to prepare or sharpen the nib of
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
A nib is the point of a thing, such as a spear. More commonly it means the point of a pen, especially a fountain pen. Before ball points were invented, a common student problem was a pen with a broken nib. The word nib comes from a 16th century word meaning the beak of a bird. In more modern times, nib has come to refer to the pieces of the cocoa bean that remain after it has been hulled, roasted, and crushed. Cocoa nibs are the very essence of what we think as chocolate, and yet, ironically, the cocoa nib needs sugar and cocoa butter to temper its bitterness.
Vocabulary lists containing nib
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Writing with the German-made pen, Tepper says, is “almost like riding a wild horse” because it’s a larger pen with an extremely smooth nib.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Baynton created a new pen nib specifically for the inked outlines, and the team used real animals as reference for their movements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
Use the Speedball Lino, U nib for everything in between the outline.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
After trimming the nib, the scribe would usually test the pen on a blank piece of parchment or flyleaf to make sure that his letters were legible.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2022
I knew I hadn’t got a spare one in my pocket, but a broken nib was never accepted as an excuse for not finishing Prep.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
