German word

nicken

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈnɪkən/

Meaning

  • verbnod

Example

Ich habe ihm genickt.

I nodded to him.

Illustration for nicken (nod)

More examples

Auf die Frage nickte sie nur kurz.

In response to the question, she only nodded briefly.

Core concept

A head dips briefly and rises again as a silent sign of agreement or acknowledgment.

Common phrases

  • bejahend nicken

    nod affirmatively

  • reflexartig nicken

    nod reflexively

  • zustimmend mit dem Kopf nicken

    nod one's head in agreement

Similar words

zustimmen: Showing support for an opinion or proposal.
mitnicken: Nodding along in response to someone else's nod.
bejahen: Affirming something through words or actions.

Definition in German

Den Kopf kurz senken und wieder heben, meist als nonverbales Zeichen für Zustimmung oder Anerkennung.

Word origin

German nicken goes back to Middle High German nicken and belongs to a Germanic group of words for a nodding movement.

Usage tips

  • As in the example, nicken commonly takes a dative person: jemandem nicken means to nod to someone.

Opposites

  • den Kopf schüttelnshake one's headverb
  • verneinendenyverb

Related words

  • das Nickennodnoun
  • abnickenapproveverb

Word lists with this word