Nibbing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Fitting a pen or similar tool with a pointed tip, or shaping that tip to a fine point
2. Providing a writing instrument with its metal point or sharpening that point for use
3. Equipping or refining the tip of a pen so that it writes smoothly and to a fine edge

Etymology: "Nibbing" is the present participle of "nib", so its history is really the history of "nib" itself. The noun "nib" is a variant of "neb", an older word meaning a beak or bill, and it later came to mean the pointed end of a pen, the part that touches the paper. The verb is a sense that grew out of that noun: to nib a pen is to fit or shape its point, and the present participle carries that action forward. The source suggests that "nib" may have been shaped by association with "nibble", which also suggests small, pecking movement, though the link is uncertain. Either way, the word began as a bird's bill and ended up at the tip of a writing instrument, a shift from a living body part to a tool.

Synonyms: tipping, pointing