# nickel

Pronunciation: say "NIK-uhl" /ˈnɪk.əl/

## Noun

1. A United States coin worth five cents. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: A five-cent coin used in the United States.
   - _He dropped a nickel into the parking meter._
   - _The cashier counted out three nickels in change._
2. A silvery metallic element with atomic number 28 and the symbol Ni.
   - Simple: A hard, shiny, silver-white metal used in coins and to make steel stronger.
   - _The plant extracts nickel from ore mined in the surrounding hills._
   - _Stainless steel owes much of its corrosion resistance to nickel._
4. An amount of money equal to five dollars. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A sum of five dollars in everyday slang.
   - _Lend me a nickel and I'll buy us both lunch._
   - _She tipped the valet a nickel and told him to keep it._
5. A defensive formation in American football that fields five defensive backs (one of them a nickelback) rather than the usual four.
   - Simple: In American football, a defense using five defensive backs instead of the usual four.
   - _The defense lined up in a nickel to counter the spread offense._
   - _Against four-receiver sets, they often shift from a nickel to a dime._
6. A term of imprisonment lasting five years. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A prison sentence that lasts five years.
   - _The judge handed him a nickel for the burglary._
   - _After doing a nickel upstate, he came home determined to change._
7. A playing card of the rank five. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A playing card ranked five.
   - _The dealer flipped a nickel onto the table._
   - _Holding two nickels gave her a useful low pair._
8. An amount of money equal to five hundred dollars. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A sum of five hundred dollars in slang.
   - _The dealer wanted a nickel for the watch._
   - _She wired him a nickel to cover the deposit on the apartment._
9. The interstate highway numbered 5, running north and south along the U.S. West Coast. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: Interstate 5, the highway that runs along the United States west coast.
   - _She merged onto the nickel just north of Los Angeles._
   - _A pileup shut down the nickel for several hours._
10. An airborne propaganda leaflet, dropped from aircraft over enemy territory. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A propaganda leaflet dropped from an aircraft.
   - _A single nickel fluttered down into the village square._
   - _Crews loaded bundles of nickels alongside the bombs before the night raid._

## Verb

3. To coat or plate an object with a thin layer of nickel.
   - Simple: To cover metal with a thin layer of nickel.
   - _Manufacturers often nickel steel fittings to improve their shine and durability._
   - _The jeweler nickeled the brass frame before setting the stones._
11. To scatter propaganda leaflets from aircraft over enemy territory. *(UK)*
   - Simple: To drop propaganda leaflets from an aircraft.
   - _On clear nights the bombers would nickel the front lines with surrender notices._
   - _Squadrons nickeled enemy cities throughout the campaign._

## Adjective

12. Low in price or low in value; cheap. *(dated, US)*
   - Simple: Costing very little, or not worth much.
   - _He wouldn't waste money on nickel furniture that wouldn't last._
   - _The shop was full of nickel trinkets aimed at tourists._

## Origin

Borrowed from German Nickel, first used by the Swedish mineralogist Axel F. Cronstedt as a short form of Kupfernickel ('a mineral containing copper and nickel'), from Kupfer ('copper') plus Nickel ('insignificant person, goblin'), originally a nickname for Nikolaus ('Nicholas'). The name reflects the deceptive silver color of the relatively valueless ore.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/nickel (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).