Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nib” come from?

Nib comes from Middle English nib, from Old English nebb, from Proto-Germanic nabją, ultimately referring to a pointed projecting part.

nib (English): The tip of a pen or tool that touches the...

Definitions

  1. The tip of a pen or tool that touches the...

Ancestry of “nib”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnebA bird's beak or bill; A person's mouth; A...
2Middle Englishnebface, nose
3Old Englishnebbneb, nib; bill, beak; nose; cartilage of the nose
4Proto-Germanicnabjąbeak; nose

Words derived from “nib”

  • nipple
  • nibbed
  • nippled
  • nipplelike
  • nipplewort
  • nippleless
  • nipply
  • Nipplegate
  • nibless
  • unnibbed
  • purple nurple
  • denib
  • nipplegasm
  • benippled
  • nypil
  • neple
  • neble
  • niblike
  • unnippled
  • ниппель
  • nippel
  • nippel
Every word from Proto-Germanic nabją →