nugget

[nuhg-it]

noun

1. a lump of something, as of precious metal.

2. a lump of native gold.

3. anything of great value, significance, or the like.

   nuggets of wisdom.

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

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

6. Australian.

   1. a powerful, heavy animal.

   2. a strong, thickset man.

Nugget

¹

/ ˈnʌɡɪt /

noun

1. shoe polish

verb

1. informal,  (tr; sometimes not capital) to shine (shoes)

nugget

²

/ ˈnʌɡɪt /

noun

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

2. something small but valuable or excellent

Other Word Forms

• nuggety adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nugget¹

1850–55; perhaps diminutive of obsolete nug small piece, variant of nog ²; -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of nugget¹

C19: origin unknown

Example Sentences

As price tags rise on beef and pork products, consumers are flocking to chicken nuggets and wings, helping lift Tyson’s chicken sales.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mixed results and small nuggets of negative news are knocking already volatile stocks off course.

Read more on Barron's

The thief then used a blowtorch to open a display case holding 13 pounds of gold nuggets from Bolivia, Russia, Guyana, Australia and the U.S., making off with an estimated $1.73 million in gold.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Dump trucks carried the soil to an immense sluicing operation, where water from two reservoirs washed away dirt to reveal gold nuggets.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Matt James has collected gold nuggets for years from the hills and riverbeds of California, but as the precious metal's price soars, he has found an unexpected El Dorado: on social media.

Read more on Barron's