nimble en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- [ˈnɪmbəl] ~ [ˈnɪmbl̩]
- (UK) audio
- /ˈnɪmbəl/
Etymology
With intrusive -b-, inherited from Middle English nymyl, nemel, nemyll, nymell (“agile, quick, ready, able, capable”), a merger of Old English nǣmel (“receptive, quick to grasp”) and Old English numol (“able to take, capable of holding”), both from niman (“to take”) + -el, -ol (associative suffix), corresponding to nim + -le. Compare German nehmen, Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), Old Norse nema (“to take”). More at nim.
Meanings
-
Adept at taking or grasping.
nimble fingers
-
Quick and light in movement or action.
He was too nimble for the assailant and easily escaped his grasp.
[…] if the men should not agree what to play, but one would have a grave Pavane, another a nimbler Galliard, a third some frisking toy or Iigg, and then all of them should be wilful, none yield to his fellow, but every one scrape on his own tune as loud as he could: what a hideous hateful noise may you imagine would such a mess of Musick be?
1656, Robert Sanderson, Twenty Sermons, London: Henry Seile, Sermon 13, p. 267:The quickest and nimblest were probably the oxycones, throwing themselves through the water like discuses.
2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 87:Attempts to introduce versions of "market communism" — in China, Hungary or Yugoslavia — have shown how hard it is to make mainly state-owned economies as nimble as mainly private ones.
1988, The Economist, volume 306, numbers 7532-7539, page 13:
-
Quickwitted and alert.
He has a nimble mind and can improvise in any situation.
"It requires you to be flexible and nimble in your thinking and Huw has already demonstrated that," said Greenwood, [...]
2020 May 20, “Merriman praised over handling of TSC's 'virtual' transition”, in Rail, page 12:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| nimbler | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| nimblest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
sluggish (antonym(s) of “quick and light in movement or action”)
Deriveds
nimblesome · overnimble · nimbleness · nimbility · unnimble · nimble-chops · nimble-witted · nimble-fingered · nimblewill · nimbly
Translations (164)
no flink (quick and light in movement or action) · it leggero (quick and light in movement or action) · fr leste (quick and light in movement or action) · de wendig (quick and light in movement or action) · gl xeitoso (quick-witted and alert) · th คล่อง (quick and light in movement or action) · fr vif (quick-witted and alert) · bg подвижен (quick and light in movement or action) · hu ötletes (quick-witted and alert) · fi nopeaälyinen (quick-witted and alert) · pt esperto (quick-witted and alert) · cmn 敏捷 (quick and light in movement or action) · ru цепкий (adept at taking or grasping) · la agilis (quick and light in movement or action) · hu okos (quick-witted and alert) · ru ло́вкий (quick and light in movement or action) · cs obratný (adept at taking or grasping) · gl áxil (quick and light in movement or action) · gl áxil (quick-witted and alert) · hu hajlékony (quick and light in movement or action) · grc κοῦφος (quick and light in movement or action) · fa زیرک (quick-witted and alert) · gl abelencioso (quick-witted and alert) · la pernix (quick and light in movement or action) · haw māmā (quick and light in movement or action) · it pronto (quick-witted and alert) · bg бърз (quick and light in movement or action) · sv kvick (quick and light in movement or action) · tr çabukluk (quick and light in movement or action) · ga lúfar (quick and light in movement or action) · grc εὐκίνητος (quick and light in movement or action) · mi naho (quick-witted and alert) · az diribaş (quick-witted and alert) · nrf leste (quick and light in movement or action) · es despierto (quick-witted and alert) · pt ligeiro (quick and light in movement or action) · ro agil (adept at taking or grasping) · gl langrista (quick and light in movement or action) · it svelto (quick and light in movement or action) · sv ledig (quick and light in movement or action) · de geschickt (quick-witted and alert) · gl andavía (quick and light in movement or action) · hu fürge (quick and light in movement or action) · it intelligente (quick-witted and alert) · ms tangkas (quick and light in movement or action) · mi tūkawikawi (quick and light in movement or action) · sv flink (quick and light in movement or action) · az qıvraq (quick-witted and alert) · de behänd (quick and light in movement or action) · gl fiteiro (adept at taking or grasping) · gl lesto (quick and light in movement or action) · az cəld (quick and light in movement or action) · ru шу́стрый (quick and light in movement or action) · ro ager (quick-witted and alert) · gl aceirudo (quick and light in movement or action) · it sveglio (quick-witted and alert) · ro ager (quick and light in movement or action) · nl spits (quick-witted and alert) · ca àgil (quick-witted and alert) · ru прово́рный (quick and light in movement or action) · fa چابک (quick and light in movement or action) · pt ágil (quick-witted and alert) · bg находчив (quick-witted and alert) · de geschickt (quick and light in movement or action) · tr açıkgöz (quick and light in movement or action) · gl lixeiro (quick and light in movement or action) · fa چالاک (quick and light in movement or action) · mi māmā (quick and light in movement or action) · sv vaken (quick-witted and alert) · cs pohotový (quick-witted and alert) · gl doende (quick and light in movement or action) · sv snabbtänkt (quick-witted and alert) · de gelenkig (quick and light in movement or action) · az çevik (quick-witted and alert) · ro agil (quick and light in movement or action) · ru сообрази́тельный (quick-witted and alert) · nl wendbaar (quick and light in movement or action) · it versatile (quick-witted and alert) · cs hbitý (adept at taking or grasping) · ru нахо́дчивый (quick-witted and alert) · de schnell (quick and light in movement or action) · bg чевръст (adept at taking or grasping) · mi kamakama (quick and light in movement or action) · cs bystrý (quick-witted and alert) · mi kakama (quick and light in movement or action) · sv snabb (quick and light in movement or action) · ro vioi (quick and light in movement or action) · es ágil (quick and light in movement or action) · sco leish (quick and light in movement or action) · sv kvick (quick-witted and alert) · sv rask (quick and light in movement or action) · pl zwinny (quick and light in movement or action) · ca destre (adept at taking or grasping) · es diestro (adept at taking or grasping) · ru юркий (quick and light in movement or action) · es avispado (quick-witted and alert) · de leichtfüssig (quick and light in movement or action) · ca atent (quick-witted and alert) · da rask (quick and light in movement or action) · tr çevik (quick and light in movement or action) · da flink (quick and light in movement or action) · fr fulgurant (quick and light in movement or action) · nl vingervlug (adept at taking or grasping) · gl aleuto (quick-witted and alert) · fa تیز (adept at taking or grasping) · fa زیرک (adept at taking or grasping) · ga mear (quick and light in movement or action) · no rask (quick-witted and alert) · sv pigg (quick-witted and alert) · sa लघु (quick and light in movement or action) · to maʻamaʻa (quick and light in movement or action) · mi atamai (quick-witted and alert) · ga luaineach (quick and light in movement or action) · es hábil (quick-witted and alert) · pl zręczny (quick and light in movement or action) · fr agile (quick and light in movement or action) · mr चपळ (quick-witted and alert) · gl bulideiro (quick and light in movement or action) · gl adoito (adept at taking or grasping) · nl alert (quick-witted and alert) · sv vig (quick and light in movement or action) · gl marraleiro (adept at taking or grasping) · sv ferm (quick and light in movement or action) · th คล่อง (quick-witted and alert) · sv smidig (quick and light in movement or action) · fa فرز (quick and light in movement or action) · az zirək (quick-witted and alert) · ca àgil (quick and light in movement or action) · de gewandt (quick and light in movement or action) · nl lichtvoetig (quick and light in movement or action) · sv lätt (quick and light in movement or action) · fa باهوش (adept at taking or grasping) · fi vikkelä (quick and light in movement or action) · tr atik (quick and light in movement or action) · nl gevat (quick-witted and alert) · el εύστροφος (quick-witted and alert) · ty māmā (quick and light in movement or action) · grc λαιψηρός (quick and light in movement or action) · no kjapp (quick and light in movement or action) · sv livlig (quick-witted and alert) · hu gyors (quick and light in movement or action) · ru вёрткий (quick and light in movement or action) · mr चपळ (quick and light in movement or action) · pt ágil (quick and light in movement or action) · mi ngutu atamai (quick-witted and alert) · gl dilingueiro (quick and light in movement or action) · fa تیز (quick and light in movement or action) · nl behendig (quick and light in movement or action) · no rask (quick and light in movement or action) · de flink (quick and light in movement or action) · fr preste (quick and light in movement or action) · it agile (quick and light in movement or action) · ru бы́стрый (quick and light in movement or action) · gl esfargallado (quick-witted and alert) · gl destro (adept at taking or grasping) · cs hbitý (quick and light in movement or action) · gl ciente (quick-witted and alert) · el σβέλτος (quick and light in movement or action) · bg съобразителен (quick-witted and alert) · el ευκίνητος (quick and light in movement or action) · fi ketterä (quick and light in movement or action) · fi valpas (quick-witted and alert) · cs mrštný (quick and light in movement or action) · ga éasca (quick and light in movement or action)