English
nick
Nick comes from late Middle English nik ‘notch, tally’, whose further origin is unknown.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nik‘notch, tally’
- Englishearliest quotation 1603nick
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nik‘notch, tally’
- Englishearliest quotation 1603nick
Earliest quotation: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, We Taste Nothing Purely: “When I imagin man fraughted with al the commodities…”
The story
The noun is derived from Late Middle English nik (‘notch, tally; nock of an arrow’). Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (‘notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks’) has not been clearly established.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Old French niche
Today it means
noun A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English nik / nick