to pinch or bite sharply; to stop something in its early stages
From Middle English 'nippen', possibly from Old Norse 'hnippa' meaning 'to prod' or 'poke'
When we say 'nip it in the bud,' we're using the original sense of nip as a sharp pinch that stops growth before it starts!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.