v. & n.
--v.
1. tr. & (foll. by at) intr. a take small bites at. b eat in small amounts. c bite at gently or cautiously or playfully.
2 intr. (foll. by at) show cautious interest in.
--n.
1. an instance of nibbling.
2 a very small amount of food.
3 Computing half a byte, i.e. 4 bits.
Derivatives:
nibbler n.
Etymology: prob. of LG or Du. orig.: cf. LG nibbeln gnaw