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nipperkin

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A small drink, especially a small measure of alcohol. It is an old-fashioned word now.

Detailed Definition
A nipperkin is a tiny quantity of liquor or a small drinking vessel. Hardy uses it in the imagined scene of two men meeting peacefully in an inn, which gives the word a rustic, old-time feel. Modern readers are unlikely to know it without looking it up.
Example
Example in poetry:
A nipperkin is a small measure or cup of liquor, especially in older British usage; “We should have sat us down to wet / Right many a nipperkin!” uses the word in a convivial drinking scene; “They shared a nipperkin of ale before the winter road” lets the small vessel suggest fellowship or modest means; Archaic drinking words such as nipperkin, flagon, and tankard can establish historical or ballad-like tone
Additional Notes
The word 'nipperkin' in the quoted line is an uncommon old term for a small drink or measure, so many readers would not know it.; Found in the poem, The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy
Also Known As
small cup tiny vessel measure
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