Nick

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /nɪk/

Definitions

1. A shallow incision made in a material or the act of creating such an incision while also referring to the illicit act of appropriating another's property
2. A slight indentation in a surface which is created intentionally or accidentally, as well as the act of taking something unlawfully
3. A small cut made on an edge or surface ; a slight imperfection or chip on an object ; the act of cutting a minor notch into something ; to take something without permission

Etymology: The word "nick" has a surprisingly tangled past. Its noun sense, a small notch or cut, comes from Late Middle English "nik", meaning a notch or tally, the kind of mark once scratched onto a stick to keep count. Where that earlier word came from is unknown. It has been suggested it might be linked to "nock", the notch at the end of an arrow that holds the bowstring, but no firm connection has been established, so the trail goes cold at the root. The verb is more puzzling still. It seems to have been derived from the noun, yet some of its senses appeared earlier than the noun's senses, so the simple story of a noun giving birth to a verb does not hold. Many European languages have words for bending or nodding that look similar, such as German "nicken" and Dutch "knikken", but these have not been shown to be related to the English word. The sense of stealing, the one most people now associate with the word, is part of this uncertain tangle, as is the everyday idea of catching someone in the act. Dictionaries tend to group these meanings together because they share a basic idea of a small cut or mark, but the link is not fully traced.

Synonyms: cut, slit, gash

Antonyms: heal, mend