noun
nugget
NUH-guht
noun
1
A small rounded lump, especially of gold or other precious metal found in its natural state.
"The prospector pulled a gold nugget the size of a thumbnail out of the creek bed."
"She kept the nugget of raw silver on her desk as a paperweight."
2
A small, valuable piece of information or wisdom.
"The old coach dropped a nugget of advice that stuck with him for years."
"Buried in the report was one useful nugget of data."
3
A small piece of breaded and fried food, especially chicken.
"The kids ordered a box of chicken nuggets with fries."
How to Use Nugget
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small chunky lump of something valuable — precious metal, useful information, or breaded food.
Common pairings
gold nugget
chicken nugget
nugget of wisdom
nugget of truth
Word Forms
nuggeted past tense, nuggetted past tense, nuggets plural, nuggets singular
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The prospector pulled a gold _____ the size of a thumbnail out of the creek bed.
Etymology
Origin uncertain, first recorded for lumps of ore in 19th-century Australia and possibly linked to an English dialect word "nug", meaning a lump or block.