Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The small projection near the center of the mammary gland containing the outlets of the milk ducts through which young mammals obtain milk from the adult female; a teat.
  • noun A corresponding projection of the male breast.
  • noun The rubber cap on a bottle from which a baby nurses.
  • noun A pacifier for an infant.
  • noun Any of various devices functioning like or resembling a nipple, especially.
  • noun A regulated opening for discharging a liquid, as in a small stopcock.
  • noun A pipe coupling threaded on both ends.
  • noun A short extension of pipe to which a nozzle can be attached.
  • noun A small projection through which grease in a grease gun can be forced into a bearing.
  • noun A natural or geographic projection resembling a nipple, as a mountain crest.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To furnish with a nipple or nipples; cover with nipple-like protuberances.
  • noun A protuberance of the breast where, in the female, the galactophorous ducts discharge; a pap; a teat.
  • noun The papilla by which any animal secretion is discharged.
  • noun Anything that projects like a nipple, as the projecting piece in a gun or a cartridge upon which the percussion-cap is placed to be struck by the hammer, the mouthpiece of a nursing-bottle, a nipple-shield, etc.
  • noun A reducing-coupling for hose or for joining a hose to a pipe.
  • noun A hollow piece projecting from and forming a passage connecting with the interior of a metal pipe, used for the attachment of a faucet or cock.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Anat.) The protuberance through which milk is drawn from the breast or mamma; the mammilla; a teat; a pap.
  • noun rare The orifice at which any animal liquid, as the oil from an oil bag, is discharged.
  • noun Any small projection or article in which there is an orifice for discharging a fluid, or for other purposes
  • noun (Mech.) A pipe fitting, consisting of a short piece of pipe, usually provided with a screw thread at each end, for connecting two other fittings.
  • noun a short pipe, usually of brass, one end of which is tapered and adapted for attachment to the end of a lead pipe by soldering.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female mammals, milk is secreted.
  • noun An artificial nipple (definition 1) used for bottle-feeding infants.
  • noun A mechanical device through which liquids can be passed in a regulated manner.
  • noun A short tube threaded at both ends, used as a connector.
  • noun Any small physical protrusion, such as the lumps on the F and J keys on American keyboards.
  • noun Any small physical protrusion on an automotive, a machine part or any other part that fits into a groove on another part.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a flexible cap on a baby's feeding bottle or pacifier
  • noun the small projection of a mammary gland

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From obsolete neble, diminutive of neb.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From earlier neple, nypil, *neble, believed to be a diminutive of nib, neb ("tip, point"), equivalent to nib +‎ -le.

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Examples

Comments

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  • The female penis.

    July 31, 2008

  • Okay, I respect everyone's right to add words and usage notes, however subjectively unappealing they may be, but the current string of nipple-related "humor" is getting to be too much for me. It may not be intended as such, but it comes off as pretty misogynistic. This comment here is particularly offensive. Please just consider that before posting any more of them. Thanks for your consideration and welcome to Wordie.

    July 31, 2008

  • I have nipples too. Does that make me a woman with a penis?

    I can live with that, as long as kad doesn't mind.

    edit: c_b and I were writing at the same time, but I'm with her. It's too dumb to devote too much energy to, but this is lame on multiple levels.

    One thought though. Sakhalinskii, how old are you? To the degree that there is a female equivalent, the nipple ain't it.

    July 31, 2008

  • I apologise for offending, I meant only to be irrelevant.

    July 31, 2008

  • (irrelevant? do you mean irreverent?)

    oh, chained_bear, might you find it in your heart to forgive me for nipplefruit?

    July 31, 2008

  • That is both irreverent and irrelevant, thank you.

    July 31, 2008

  • handy!

    July 31, 2008

  • I do try. :P

    July 31, 2008