nib

Definition

The tip of a pen or tool that touches the surface, transferring ink to paper.

Etymology

From a variant of neb, perhaps due to association with nibble.

Example Sentences

• "Slowly welling from the point of her gold nib, pale blue ink dissolved the full stop; for there her pen stuck; her eyes fixed, and tears slowly filled them."
• "Ford, whose often acid nib belied a deep love of all things Iberian, is one of 20 British authors profiled in a new Spanish book[…]."
• "the little nib or fructifying principle"