nug·get

[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.
a.
a powerful, heavy animal.
b.
a strong, thickset man.

Origin:
1850–55; perhaps diminutive of obsolete nug small piece, variant of nog2; see -et

nug·get·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To nugget
00:10
Nugget is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
nugget (ˈnʌɡɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a small piece or lump, esp of gold in its natural state
2.  something small but valuable or excellent
 
[C19: origin unknown]

Nugget (ˈnʌɡɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  trademark shoe polish
 
vb
2.  informal (tr; sometimes not capital) to shine (shoes)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

nugget
1852, "lump of gold," probably from southwestern England dialectal nug "lump," of unknown origin. Another theory is that it is a misdivision of an ingot. Transf. sense is from 1859.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
To find the nugget of what a particular ethic was, without getting too broad
  and putting things together was a challenge.
If someone had handed him a gold nugget he'd have glanced and tossed.
Kim says the belly flap's peritoneal membrane makes the appearance of the
  nugget meat less desirable to consumers.
But there was an interesting nugget that hasn't been widely discussed.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT