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nub

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nub¹

  • /nʌb/ US, UK
  • /nʊb/ Ireland, Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌb

Where it comes from

Either directly from Middle Low German, or from knub, from a Middle Low German word (compare Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)). Compare knob.

noun nubs

  1. obsolete The innermost section of a chrysalis in a silk cocoon.
  2. A small knob or lump.

    Similar: nubbin

  3. The essence or core of an issue, argument etc. What do you think is the nub of the problem?

    Similar: crux, gist, bowels, sum, brass tacks, core, essence, drift, guts, gravamen, heart, heart and soul

  4. euphemistic, slang, vulgar The clitoris. “ — and then rub her nub with the bridge of your nose, right where the nerve will drive her straight to the ceiling!”
  5. colloquial A pointing stick.
  6. A passage of Shakespearean blank verse. A nub is a passage of blank verse that Shakespearean actors have sometimes relied upon when they forget their lines. It doesn't have to make any sense, but it must sound plausible. To alert the other actors on stage that the speaker is in difficulty, the word nub is used in the first line.
  7. informal The genital tubercle. nub theory

verb nubs · nubbing · nubbed

  1. To hit the ball weakly.
  2. To push; to nudge.
  3. To beckon.
  4. To extemporize a passage of Shakespearean blank verse In Shall we Shog?, Globe artistic director Mark Rylance hilariously found himself having to nub the Quarto version of Hamlet's speech to the players.

nub²

  • /nuːb/ UK
  • /nub/ US

Rhymes with -uːb

Where it comes from

Alternative form.

noun nubs

  1. Internet, alternative Alternative spelling of noob He can’t even make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? What a nub.

nub³

  • /nʌb/ US

Rhymes with -ʌb

Where it comes from

Acronym.

noun nubs

  1. US, abbreviation, acronym, derogatory, slang Acronym of new underway bitch or non-useful body (“an underqualified crewmember, generally regarded as inexperienced and unhelpful”). Get qualified, nub!

    Similar: FNG, abecedarian, alphabetarian, apprentice, amateur, beginner, bun, colt, first-timer, fledgling, fresh meat, freshman

Translations

Every language

noun small knob or lump

DeutschKlümpchen, Stückchen, Noppe

noun essence or core of an issue, argument etc.

DeutschPointe, Kernpunkt, Kern
Русскийсуть sutʹ

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"nub." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nub. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

nub. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nub

Chicago

"nub." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nub.

BibTeX
@misc{nub_2026,
  title = {nub},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nub},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}