nimble
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
able to move quickly and easily with light steps.
quick and light in movement or action; possessing physical agility and coordination.
Simple“The nimble cat jumped from the fence to the narrow roof without falling.”
In context“The mountain goats were incredibly nimble, navigating the sheer rock faces with a speed that seemed to defy gravity.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
having fingers that move quickly and carefully to do difficult work.
possessing manual dexterity; able to perform delicate or complex tasks with the hands quickly and accurately.
Simple“You need nimble fingers to fix the tiny parts inside a watch.”
In context“Her nimble fingers flew across the piano keys, executing the complex concerto with effortless precision and grace.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
able to think, learn, or answer very quickly.
quick-witted and alert; possessing a mind capable of rapid comprehension or clever response.
Simple“She has a nimble mind and always finds a solution to tricky problems.”
In context“A nimble negotiator can anticipate an opponent's objections and pivot the conversation before a deadlock occurs.”
From Middle English nymyl, nemel, nemyll, nymell (“agile, quick, ready, able, capable”), merger of Old English nǣmel (“receptive, quick to grasp”) and Old English numol (“able to take, capable of holding”), both from niman (“to take”) + -el, -ol (associative suffix), corresponding to nim + -le. Compare German nehmen, Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), Old Norse nema (“to take”). More at nim.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.