a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite
"The geologist studied the ore samples containing nickel, which exists naturally within minerals like pentlandite and millerite."
a United States coin worth one twentieth of a dollar
"I dropped a nickel into the vending machine to buy my soda."
A silvery elemental metal with an atomic number of 28 and symbol Ni.
"The chemist carefully weighed out exactly ten grams of pure nickel to begin her experiment."
In plain English: A nickel is a small five-cent coin made of metal that you can use to buy things at stores.
"I found a nickel on the ground and dropped it into my pocket."
Usage: Use this word to refer specifically to the coin made from nickel alloy or the chemical element itself, rather than using it as a general synonym for "money." Avoid confusing it with similar-sounding words like "nick" when describing minor cuts or injuries.
To plate with nickel.
"The factory will soon begin to nickel all the new car bumpers to ensure they are corrosion-resistant."
A patronymic surname, from given names.
"Many people do not realize that Nickel is a common patronymic surname derived from the name of their ancestors."
The word comes from German Nickel, which was originally a nickname for the devil or goblin used to describe the deceptive, copper-colored ore that contained little valuable metal. This name combined with "copper" in the term Kupfernickel before being adopted into English.