[nick] n [ME nyke, prob. alter. of nocke nock] (15c) 1 a: a small notch or groove b: a break in one strand of two-stranded DNA caused by a missing phosphodiester bond c: a small cut incurred in shaving
2: a final critical moment "in the ~ of time" 3 slang Brit: prison; also: police station
4. Brit: condition "in good ~"
[2]nick vt (1523) 1: to jot down: record
2. a: to make a nick in: notch, chip b: to cut into or wound slightly "a bullet ~ed his leg"
3: to cut short "cold weather, which ~ed steel and automobile output --Time"
4: to catch at the right point or time
5: cheat, overcharge
6. a slang Brit: arrest b slang Brit: steal ~ vi 1: to make petty attacks: snipe
2: to complement one another genetically and produce superior offspring