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nick (nĭk)
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n.
1. A shallow notch, cut, or indentation on an edge or a surface: nicks in the table; razor nicks on his chin.
2. Chiefly British Slang A prison or police station.
3. Printing A groove down the side of a piece of type used to ensure that it is correctly placed.
tr.v. nicked, nick·ing, nicks
1.
a. To cut a nick or notch in.
b. To cut into and wound slightly: A sliver of glass nicked my hand.
2. To cut short; check: nicked an impulse to flee.
3. Slang To cheat, especially by overcharging.
4. Chiefly British Slang
a. To steal.
b. To arrest.
Idiom:
in the nick of time
Just at the critical moment; just in time.
[Middle English nik, possibly alteration (influenced by nokke, notch) of niche; see NICHE.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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