nail down

N n

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [neyl doun]
- /neɪl daʊn/
- /neɪl daʊn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [neyl doun]
- /neɪl daʊn/

Definitions of nail down words

noun nail down a slender, typically rod-shaped rigid piece of metal, usually in any of numerous standard lengths from a fraction of an inch to several inches and having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened, for hammering into or through wood, other building materials, etc., as used in building, in fastening, or in holding separate pieces together. 1
noun nail down a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe. 1
noun nail down a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2¼ inches (6.4 cm). 1
verb with object nail down to fasten with a nail or nails: to nail the cover on a box. 1
verb with object nail down to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often followed by up): to nail up oranges in a crate. 1
verb with object nail down to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position: Surprise nailed him to the spot. 1

See all 24 definitions of nail down

Information block about the term

Origin of nail down

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; (noun) Middle English nail(l), nayl(l), Old English nægl, cognate with Old Frisian neil, Old Saxon, Old High German nagal, Dutch nagel, German Nagel, Old Norse nagl fingernail, all < Germanic *naglaz; akin as derivative to Lithuanian nãgas, nagà hoof, OPruss nage foot, OCS noga leg, foot (Serbo-Croatian nòga, Czech noha, Russian nogá; probably orig. jocular reference to the foot as a hoof), OCS nogŭtĭ, Tocharian A maku, B mekwa fingernail, claw, all < North European Indo-European *Honogwh-; further akin to Old Irish ingen, Welsh ewin, Breton ivin < Celtic *ṇgwhīnā, Latin unguis < Italo-Celtic *Hongwhi-; Greek ónyx, stem onych-, Armenian ełungn < *Honogwh-; (v.) Middle English nail(l)(e), nayl(l)e(n), Old English næglian, cognate with Old Saxon neglian, Old High German negilen, Old Norse negla < Germanic *nagl-janan; compare Gothic ganagljan

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Nail down

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Nail down

nail down popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

nail down usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for nail down

noun nail down

cinch — If you say that something is a cinch, you mean that you think it is very easy to do.
clinch — If you clinch something you are trying to achieve, such as a business deal or victory in a contest, you succeed in obtaining it.
lock in — a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or the like in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled and withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a key, dial, etc.
pin down — a small, slender, often pointed piece of wood, metal, etc., used to fasten, support, or attach things.

All 4 Synonyms of nail down