tip
/tɪp/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.55 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A piece of metal, fabric or other material used to cover the top of something for protection, utility or decoration.
noun
The end of a bow of a stringed instrument that is not held.
noun
Example Sentences
- "the tip of one's nose"
- "When he woke up, about half an hour after, he called it to him again, but Dash only looked sheepish and wagged the tip of his tail."
- "The present-day city of Ji’an at the southern tip of Jilin province was the second capital (3-427 CE) of the Gaogouli kingdom during its middle period."
- "From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip."
- "a tip for an umbrella, a shoe, a gas burner, etc."
- "chicken tips over rice, pork tips, marinated alligator tips"
Etymology
From Middle English tip, typ, tippe (“tip”), of obscure and uncertain origin. Perhaps distantly related to top. Related to Saterland Frisian Tip (“tip”), West Frisian tippe, tip (“tip”), Dutch tip (“tip”), German Low German Tip, Tippel (“tip”), dialectal German Zipf (“tip”) (diminutive Zipfel used in Standard German), Danish tip (“tip”), Swedish tipp (“tip”), Icelandic typpi (“knob, pin, penis”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Timpe (“tip”), West Frisian timpe (“tip”), Old English tæppa (“tap, spigot”), Middle High German züpfel (“pointed end, tip”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: tip, tippen, -
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /tɪp/
- British English: /tɪp/
Usage
- Slang
- Transitive verb
- Dated
- American usage
- Obsolete
- British usage
- Colloquial
- Archaic