Pinched, squeezed, or cut off with a quick sharp motion; also prevented something from developing.
From 'nip,' possibly from Old Norse 'hnippa' (to pinch or rap). Past tense of 'nip,' which can mean either a literal pinch or figuratively to stop something short.
In the phrase 'nipped in the bud,' we're using a gardening metaphor—pinching off a flower's bud before it blooms—that perfectly captures how stopping something early prevents it from fully developing into a problem!
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