noun
nipper
NIP-er/ˈnɪpər/
An informal word for a small child.
The little nipper sneaks a cookie from the open tin.
Etymology
From nip ‘pinch,’ nipper could mean a pickpocket. The child sense may descend from that usage through the name for a boy doing workmen’s errands.
In context
I was just a young Nipper of 10
More examples
- The nippers are playing hide-and-seek in the yard.
- I learned to swim when I was just a nipper.
- Your little nipper already knows how to count to ten!
Forms
nipper · nippers