nod

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To move your head down and up to show agreement, greeting, or understanding.

   She nodded to show that she agreed with the plan.

2. 2
   verb

   To show or signal something by moving your head.

   He nodded his approval of the design.

3. 3
   verb

   To let your head drop forward because you are falling asleep.

   I started nodding off in front of the television.

Common collocations

• nod your head Verb + noun

From Middle English nodden, probably from an unrecorded Old English *hnodian (“to nod, shake the head”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnodōn, from Proto-Germanic *hnudōną (“to beat, rivet, pound, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *kendʰ-, from *ken- (“to scratch, scrape, rub”). Compare Old High German hnotōn (“to shake”), hnutten (“to shake, rattle, vibrate”) (> modern dialectal German notteln, nütteln (“to rock, move back and forth”)), Faroese njóða (“to clench a nail”), Icelandic hnjóða (“to rivet, clinch”), Faroese noða (“to double by bending”), Icelandic hnoða (“to clinch, rivet”).

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