nock
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The notch at the rear of an arrow that fits on the bowstring.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nahkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnɑk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
archery
The notch at the rear of an arrow that fits on the bowstring.
Either of the two grooves in a bow that hold the bowstring.
verb
transitive
To cut a nock in (usually in an arrow's base or the tips of a bow).
transitive
To fit (an arrow) against the bowstring of a bow or crossbow.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (archery) The notch at the rear of an arrow that fits on the bowstring.
Used this way, nock is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.