Etymology

nick

N1I1C3K5

Today it means: A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment. Full definition →

Middle English nik
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nick · noun, verb1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromnik“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”
  2. English todaynick

The noun is derived from Late Middle English nik (“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”). Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (“notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks”) has not been clearly established. The verb appears to be derived from the noun, though the available evidence shows that some of the verb senses predate the noun senses. No connection with words in Germanic languages such as Danish nikke (“to nod”), Middle Dutch nicken (“to bend; to bow”) (modern Dutch knikken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German nicken (“to bend over; to sink”), Middle High German nicken (“to bend; to depress”) (modern German nicken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German knicken (“to bend; to snap”) (modern German knicken (“to bend; to break”), Old Frisian hnekka (“to nod”), and Swedish nicka (“to nod”), has been clearly established.

nick · noun, verb2

Clipping of nickname.

nick · noun3

A variant of nix or nixie.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.