nugget

[nuhg-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nugget ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a lump of something, as of precious metal.

a lump of native gold.

anything of great value, significance, or the like: nuggets of wisdom.

a bite-size piece of chicken, fish, etc., usually batter-fried.

Welding. (in a spot-weld) the metal fused.

Australian.

a powerful, heavy animal.
a strong, thickset man.

Origin of nugget

1850–55; perhaps diminutive of obsolete nug small piece, variant of nog²; see -et

Related formsnug·get·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nugget

clod, wad, ingot, gold, chunk, treasure, hunk, rock, mass, clump, plum, bullion

Examples from the Web for nugget

Contemporary Examples of nugget

I always find at least one nugget of information that I can immediately apply to the work I do.
The Best Apps for Developing Sherlock Holmes-Like Reading Skills
Ari Meisel
March 25, 2014
The Wen Wei Po article contains a nugget that tells us why Beijing wanted to get back at the regime in Pyongyang.
North Korea's Monstrous Murder Methods
Gordon G. Chang
January 5, 2014
Yet inside this shabby story is a nugget of insight screaming to get out.
Why is David Siegel so Mad?
David Frum
October 10, 2012

Historical Examples of nugget

Keith's smile broadened as he was handed this nugget of wisdom.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln
I bought a copy of the "Nugget" and went into the Sourdough Restaurant to read it.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
The sheriff burst in the door with Nugget McDermott close behind.
Jubilation, U.S.A.
G. L. Vandenburg
That nugget of information was the stuff from which Survey reports were made.
Storm Over Warlock
Andre Norton
In a moment all were crowded around him, eagerly examining the nugget.
The Cave of Gold
Everett McNeil

British Dictionary definitions for nugget

nugget

noun

a small piece or lump, esp of gold in its natural state

something small but valuable or excellent

Word Origin for nugget

C19: origin unknown

Nugget

noun

trademark shoe polish

verb

(tr; sometimes not capital) informal to shine (shoes)

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 nugget

1852, "lump of gold," probably from southwestern England dialectal nug "lump," of unknown origin [OED]. Another theory is that it is from a misdivision of an ingot. Transferred sense is from 1859.