nippen

An expressive variant of nijpen (“to pinch”), in the sense of squeezing the lips.^[1]

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• Rhymes: -ɪpən

nippen

1. to sip, take a nip

In the standard language since the 17th century. From Central and Low German dialects, respectively from northern Middle High German *nippen and Middle Low German nippen, from a Proto-West Germanic *hnipp-Vn, expressive variant of *hnīpan (“to pinch”). Cognate with older Upper German nipfen, Dutch nippen, Old Norse hnippa.

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪpən/, [ˈnɪ.pm̩], [ˈnɪ.p(ə)n]

• Audio:

  (file)

nippen (weak, third-person singular present nippt, past tense nippte, past participle genippt, auxiliary haben)

1. to sip; to take a nip

   Er nippte gelangweilt an seinem Longdrink.

   He boredly sipped from his long drink.

   • a. 1827, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Nett und niedlich”, in Epigrammatisch:

     Aber etwas fehlt dir noch; / Küssest mit so spitzen Lippen, / Wie die Tauben Wasser nippen; / Allzu zierlich bist du doch.

     But there’s something you still lack; / You kiss with such protruded lips, / As pigeons sip their water; / You are all too coy.

• “nippen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “nippen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “nippen” in Duden online
• “nippen” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.