Nudge

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /nʌd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. To give a small, gentle push to someone or something ; a light push intended to move or encourage action
2. To move or touch softly as a form of prompting ; a subtle encouragement or stimulus to influence behavior
3. To apply gentle pressure usually with an elbow or finger to attract attention ; a mild or indirect way to prompt or persuade someone to act

Etymology: The word "nudge" appears in English around the 17th century, and its likeliest ancestry lies in the North Germanic languages of Scandinavia rather than in Latin or French, which is unusual for an everyday English verb. Norwegian "nugge" and "nyggje" meant to push, rub or shove, and Icelandic "nugga" meant to rub or massage. These share a root with the Proto-Germanic idea of smoothing or joining things together, which hints that the original notion was more about rubbing and pressing than about a sharp prod. Related forms scattered across the Germanic world point the same way. Scots dialect had "nodge" and "knidge" meaning to push, poke or squeeze, and Middle Low German had "nucke" for a sudden push or shock. The sense of a sudden, sharp impetus survives in those cousins more clearly than in the gentle, elbow-in-the-ribs meaning English settled on.

Synonyms: push, prod, shove, jostle, prompt

Antonyms: pull, withdraw