NIBBLE

nibble

(noun) gentle biting

nybble, nibble

(noun) a small byte

nibble, pick, piece

(verb) eat intermittently; take small bites of; “He pieced at the sandwich all morning”; “She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles”

nibble

(verb) bite gently; “The woman tenderly nibbled at her baby’s ear”

nibble

(verb) bite off very small pieces; “She nibbled on her cracker”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology 1

Noun

nibble (plural nibbles)

A small, quick bite taken with the front teeth.

(in the plural, nibbles) Small snacks such as crisps/potato chips or nuts, often eaten to accompany drinks.

Verb

nibble (third-person singular simple present nibbles, present participle nibbling, simple past and past participle nibbled)

(ambitransitive) To eat with small, quick bites.

(transitive) To bite lightly.

(figurative) To consume gradually.

To find fault; to cavil.

Synonyms

• (eat delicately): piddle

Etymology 2

Noun

nibble (plural nibbles)

(computing) A unit of memory equal to half a byte, or four bits.

Source: Wiktionary

Nib"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nibbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Nibbling.] Etym: [Cf. Nip.]

Definition: To bite by little at a time; to seize gently with the mouth; to eat slowly or in small bits. Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep. Shak.

Nib"ble, v. t.

Definition: To bite upon something gently or cautiously; to eat a little of a thing, as by taking small bits cautiously; as, fishes nibble at the bait. Instead of returning a full answer to my book, he manifestly falls a- nibbling at one single passage. Tillotson.

Nib"ble, n.

Definition: A small or cautious bite.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition