nibbling
かじる
解説 Definition
nibbling は nibble（少しずつかじる、少量ずつ食べる）の現在分詞・動名詞です。大きく食べるのではなく、端から小さくかじる動作を表します。
Nibbling is the action of taking repeated small bites from food or another object rather than biting off a large piece. It is the present participle or gerund of nibble and can describe either an ongoing action or the action as an activity.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
原形 nibble「少しずつかじる」の語末の黙字 e を落として -ing を付け、nibbling となります。発音は /ˈnɪbəl/ から /ˈnɪblɪŋ/ へ変わります。nibbling a cookie や nibbling at the edge のように、一口で大きく食べず端から小さく何度もかじる場面で覚えましょう。
Begin with nibble, meaning “take small bites.” To form nibbling, drop the final silent e and add -ing; its pronunciation changes from /ˈnɪbəl/ to /ˈnɪblɪŋ/. Imagine a child, mouse, or rabbit eating gradually from the edge of something rather than taking one large bite. Useful patterns include nibbling a cookie and nibbling at a piece of toast. The preposition at often emphasizes repeated small bites. Contrast nibbling with gobbling, which means eating quickly and in large mouthfuls.
例文
The child was nibbling a cookie.
その子はクッキーを少しずつかじっていました。
She sat by the window, nibbling a piece of toast.
彼女は窓辺に座り、トーストを少しずつかじっていました。
He kept nibbling the edge of the cracker while he read.
彼は読みながら、クラッカーの端を少しずつかじっていました。
nibbling の類義語・関連語
nibbling の語源・成り立ち Etymology
nibbleは低地ドイツ語nibbelen（少しずつかむ）に由来し、-ingで動名詞化。nipやnibと同根で「つまむ・はさむ」が原義。少量ずつ食べる動作を表し、コンピュータ用語の4ビット＝nibbleもここから派生した。
Nibbling is formed from nibble by dropping the final e and adding -ing. Nibble entered English in the late Middle English period and is commonly linked with related Low German or Dutch forms describing small, repeated bites. Its sound and meaning also place it near words such as nip. The technical noun nibble for a group of four computer bits is a later playful formation based on bite.
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