nibble
    n 1: a small byte [syn: nybble, nibble]
    2: gentle biting
    v 1: bite off very small pieces; "She nibbled on her cracker"
    2: bite gently; "The woman tenderly nibbled at her baby's ear"
    3: eat intermittently; take small bites of; "He pieced at the
       sandwich all morning"; "She never eats a full meal--she just
       nibbles" [syn: nibble, pick, piece]

Nibble \Nib"ble\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nibbled; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Nibbling.] [Cf. Nip.]
   To bite by little at a time; to seize gently with the mouth;
   to eat slowly or in small bits.
   [1913 Webster]

         Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep. --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

Nibble \Nib"ble\, v. t.
   To bite upon something gently or cautiously; to eat a little
   of a thing, as by taking small bits cautiously; as, fishes
   nibble at the bait.
   [1913 Webster]

         Instead of returning a full answer to my book, he
         manifestly falls a-nibbling at one single passage.
                                                  --Tillotson.
   [1913 Webster]

nibble \nib"ble\, n.
   1. A small or cautious bite.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Hence: (Fig.) An expression of interest, often tentative,
      as at the beginning of a sale or negotiation process.
      [PJC]

nibble
nybble

    /nib'l/ (US "nybble", by analogy with "bite" -> "byte")
   Half a byte.  Since a byte is nearly always eight bits, a
   nibble is nearly always four bits (and can therefore be
   represented by one hex digit).

   Other size nibbles have existed, for example the BBC
   Microcomputer disk file system used eleven bit sector numbers
   which were described as one byte (eight bits) and a nibble
   (three bits).

   Compare crumb, tayste, dynner; see also bit, nickle,
   deckle.

   The spelling "nybble" is uncommon in Commonwealth Hackish as
   British orthography suggests the pronunciation /ni:'bl/.

   (1997-12-03)