nipple
UK[ˈnɪp(ə)l]US[ˈnɪp(ə)l]
n
The small raised, darker area in the center of a person's breast, through which a baby can suck milk.
n
A small projection on a piece of machinery or equipment, especially one from which oil or other fluid can be dispensed.
Etymology
The word 'nipple' is of native English origin, emerging in the 16th century. It is a diminutive or pet-form development from the Middle English 'neb' or 'nib', which meant a bird's beak or a projecting point. The evolution from 'neb' to 'nipple' likely involved the influence of the verb 'nip' (to pinch or squeeze), creating a sense of a small, pinched, or projecting part. This semantic path from a general term for a pointed projection to the specific anatomical and mechanical part illustrates a common pattern of word specialization and metaphorical extension in English.
Analysis
This word is a simplex form. It is a diminutive or altered form of the earlier English word 'neb' or 'nib' (meaning a beak, nose, or point), likely influenced by the word 'nip'.
Examples
The baby instinctively turned its head toward the mother's nipple.
Apply a small amount of oil to the grease nipple on the hinge.
Her shirt was damp from where the milk had leaked from her nipple.