nickel
noun /ˈnɪkl/
/ˈnɪkl/
- [uncountable] (symbol Ni)a chemical element. Nickel is a hard silver-white metal used in making some types of steel and other alloys.Topics Physics and chemistryc2
- [countable] a coin of the US and Canada worth 5 centsTopics Moneyc1
Word Originmid 18th cent.: shortening of German Kupfernickel, the copper-coloured ore from which nickel was first obtained, from Kupfer ‘copper’ + Nickel ‘demon’ (with reference to the ore's failure to yield copper).