Etymology: < early Scandinavian (compare Icelandic nabbi protuberance, pimple, point, knoll (17th cent.; in Old Icelandic only as a dwarf name), Old Norwegian nabbi protuberance, pimple (Norwegian nabb , nabbe knoll, peg), Old Swedish nabber point, promontory (Swedish nabb , Swedish regional nabbe ), Old Danish nabbe point, promontory (Danish regional (Jylland) nabbe )), ultimately < the same Germanic base as neb n. With forms in kn- compare Faroese knabbi , Norwegian knabb , both in sense ‘knoll’, apparently alterations after corresponding forms of knap n.¹; the English forms are either directly from Scandinavian forms with kn-, or represent a parallel development. In Orkney and Shetland use via the unattested Norn reflex of the early Scandinavian word represented by the Scandinavian forms listed above.Attested earlier in place names, as [Gars]chownab (1180–4; now Gascow Nab, Cumbria), Nabbe (1247; now Nab Lane, Northamptonshire), Stenenenabbe (1315; Nottinghamshire, now lost).

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps related to nab n.¹, although perhaps compare also later nob n.³Quot. ?1536 at sense 1a should perhaps be regarded instead as showing an earlier example of nob n.³, but if so would antedate both nob n.³ and the corresponding sense of knob n. very considerably.

Etymology: < nab v.² Compare earlier nabber n., nabbing-cull n., nabman n. Compare also earlier nap n.⁵

Etymology: < nab v.¹

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps imitative of the movement of the mouth. Compare earlier gnap v., knap v.²In sense 2 with reference to the clipped tones in affected, mannered speech.

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps variant of nap v.³

Etymology: Apparently a variant of knap v.¹ in the same sense (compare forms at that entry), perhaps after nab v.² Compare earlier knap n.²