pinch

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English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Middle English pinchen, from Anglo-Norman *pinchier (compare Old French pincer, pincier (“to pinch, find fault”)), from Vulgar Latin *pincāre, a nasalised variant of Vulgar Latin *piccāre (“to pick, pierce”), from Frankish *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikōną, *pukaną (“to pick, peck, prick, knock”), from Proto-Indo-European *beu-, *bu- (“to make a dull sound”). Cognate with Old English pȳcan, pician (“to pick, pluck”), Old Norse pikka (“to prick, peck”), Middle Dutch and Middle Low German picken (“to pick, peck, pierce”), German pochen (“to knock, pound, thump”). More at pick.

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

pinch (third-person singular simple present pinches, present participle pinching, simple past and past participle pinched)

  1. To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.
  2. To steal, usually of something almost trivial or inconsequential.
  3. To arrest or capture.
  4. (horticulture) To cut shoots or buds of a plant in order to shape the plant, or to improve its yield.
  5. (nautical) To sail so close-hauled that the sails begin to flutter.
  6. This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    • 2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, BBC Sport:
      Then, as the Sunderland fans' cheers bellowed around the stadium, United's title bid was over when it became apparent City had pinched a last-gasp winner to seal their first title in 44 years.

Translations [edit]

to squeeze a small amount of skin
to steal
to arrest or capture
horticulture: to cut shoots or buds
nautical: to sail close-hauled

Noun [edit]

pinch (plural pinches)

  1. The action of squeezing a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.
  2. A small amount of powder or granules, such that the amount could be held between fingertip and thumb tip.
  3. An awkward situation of some kind (especially money or social) which is difficult to escape.
    • 1955, Rex Stout, "Die Like a Dog", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, ISBN 0553249592, page 171:
      It took nerve and muscle both to carry the body out and down the stairs to the lower hall, but he damn well had to get it out of his place and away from his door, and any of those four could have done it in a pinch, and it sure was a pinch.
  4. An organic herbal smoke additive.

Derived terms [edit]

Descendants [edit]

Translations [edit]

action of squeezing a small amount of skin
small amount of powder
someone in a tight pinch
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