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nugget

[nuhg-it]
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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.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for nugget

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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
  1. a small piece or lump, esp of gold in its natural state
  2. something small but valuable or excellent
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Word Origin

C19: origin unknown

Nugget

noun
  1. trademark shoe polish
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verb
  1. (tr; sometimes not capital) informal to shine (shoes)
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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

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper