NICKEL


Meaning of NICKEL in English

■ noun

1》 a silvery-white metal resembling iron, the chemical element of atomic number 28. (Symbol: Ni )

2》 N. Amer. informal a five-cent coin.

■ verb ( ~s , ~ling , ~led ; US ~s , ~ing , ~ed ) coat with ~.

Origin

C18: shortening of Ger. Kupfer~ , the copper-coloured ore from which ~ was first obtained, from Kupfer 'copper' + Nickel 'demon' (with ref. to the ore's failure to yield copper).

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.