nibble

English

Etymology 1

Perhaps from Middle Low German nibbelen (“to gnaw”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪbəl

Noun

nibble (plural nibbles)

1. A small, quick bite taken with the front teeth.
2. (in the plural, nibbles) Small snacks such as crisps/potato chips or nuts, often eaten to accompany drinks.

Derived terms

• nibbly

Translations

a small, quick bite taken with the front teeth

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輕咬 (cmn), 轻咬 (cmn) (qīngyǎo)

• Finnish: näykkäisy (fi)

• Greek: τσιμπολόγημα (el) (tsimpológima) n 
• Hungarian: falat (hu)
• Maori: tongi (mi) (as a fish at bait)
• Portuguese: mordisco (pt), beliscada (pt)

small snacks

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小吃 (cmn) (xiǎochī)

• Finnish: naksut (fi)

• Greek: μεζέδες (el) (mezédes) m pl , (diminutive) μεζεδάκια (el) (mezedákia) n pl 

Verb

nibble (third-person singular simple present nibbles, present participle nibbling, simple past and past participle nibbled)

1. (transitive) To eat with small, quick bites.

   The rabbit nibbled the lettuce.

2. (transitive) To bite lightly.

   He nibbled at my neck and made me shiver.

Translations

eat with small bites

• Armenian: կրծել (hy) (krçel) 
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一點一點地吃, 一点一点地吃 (yīdiǎn yīdiǎn de chī)

• Czech: okusovat (cs), ohlodávat (cs), hlodat (cs)
• Dutch: knabbelen (nl)
• Finnish: näykkiä (fi)
• French: grignoter (fr)

• German: knabbern (de)
• Greek: περιτρώγω (el) (peritrógo) , ροκανίζω (el) (rokanízo) , τσιμπολογώ (el) (tsimpologó) 
• Hungarian: majszol (hu)
• Russian: грызть (ru) (gryzt') 
• Scottish Gaelic: criom (gd)
• Spanish: comiscar (es), comisquear (es), picotear (es)

bite lightly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輕咬 (cmn), 轻咬 (cmn) (qīngyǎo)

• Finnish: näykkäistä (fi)

• Portuguese: mordiscar (pt)

Etymology 2

Wikipedia ^en

From nibble, punning on the homophony of byte and bite

Alternative forms

• nybble

Noun

nibble

1. (computing) A unit of memory equal to half a byte, or four bits.

Translations

(computing) A unit of memory equal to half a byte, or four bits

• Dutch: nibble (nl)
• Finnish: puolitavu (fi)
• French: nibble (fr), quartet (fr) m, semioctet (fr) m, tétrade (fr) f
• German: Nibble (de)

• Greek: ημιψηφιόλεξη (el) (imipsifioléxi) f 
• Japanese: ニブル (ja)
• Russian: ниббл (ru) (nibbl), полубайт (ru) (polubajt)