Link Centre Dictionary

nod

UK/nɒd/ US/nɑd/ fairly common slang us
verb (5) noun (2)

verb

1.

express or signify by nodding

  • “He nodded his approval”
2.

lower and raise the head, as to indicate assent or agreement or confirmation

  • “The teacher nodded when the student gave the right answer”
3.

let the head fall forward through drowsiness

  • “The old man was nodding in his chair”
4.

sway gently back and forth, as is in a nodding motion

  • “the flowers were nodding in the breeze”
5.

be almost asleep

  • “The old man sat nodding by the fireplace”

noun

1.
2.

the act of nodding the head

Origin

From Middle English nodden, probably from an unrecorded Old English *hnodian (“to nod, shake the head”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnodōn, from Proto-Germanic *hnudōną (“to beat, rivet, pound, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *kendʰ-, from *ken- (“to scratch, scrape, rub”). Compare Old High German hnotōn (“to shake”), hnutten (“to shake, rattle, vibrate”) (> modern dialectal German notteln, nütteln (“to rock, move back and forth”)), Faroese njóða (“to clench a nail”), Icelandic hnjóða (“to rivet, clinch”), Faroese noða (“to double by bending”), Icelandic hnoða (“to clinch, rivet”).

Phrases

  • a nod is as good as a wink
  • a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse
  • continuity nod
  • get the nod
  • nigga nod
  • nod in
  • nodding blue lily
  • nodding disease
  • nodding donkey
  • nodding syndrome
  • nodding thistle
  • nodding trillium

Related words

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.