Nudge
/nʌdʒ/noun
To push, poke, or gently urge someone or something into motion.
Did you know?‘Nudge’ is first recorded in the late 17th century and is likely Scandinavian in origin, tied to words meaning a small push or shove—proof that even soft persuasion has a sharp linguistic edge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neigʰ-
“to bend, sway, move by pushing”
Old Norse
ON
hnoka
“to push or thrust”
Middle English
ME
noggen
“to push or jog lightly”
Late 17th Century
English
nudge
“to push slightly or repeatedly”
Modern English
English
nudge
“to gently push or prod; a subtle urging”