NICK

I. noun Etymology: Middle English nyke, probably alteration of nocke nock Date: 15th century 1. a small notch, groove, or chip, a small cut or wound, a break in one strand of two-stranded DNA caused by a missing phosphodiester bond, a final critical moment , prison , condition , II. verb Date: 1523 transitive verb to jot down ; record , 2. to make a ~ in ; notch , chip , to cut into or wound slightly , to cut short , to catch at the right point or time, cheat , overcharge , 6. arrest , steal , intransitive verb to make petty attacks ; snipe , to complement one another genetically and produce superior offspring