From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnickelnick‧el /ˈnɪkəl/ noun 1 [uncountable]HCEHCM a hard silver-white metal that is often combined with other metals, for example to make steel. It is a chemical element: symbol Ni2 [countable]PEC a coin in the US or Canada that is worth five cents
Examples from the Corpus
nickel• Low-grade copper and nickel sulphides developed at or near the contacts.• Eight nickel cadmium batteries are grouped together inside the handle pack.• The 11 metals concerned include copper, zinc, lead, nickel, cadmium and mercury.• The 50-mile range is expected to double within the next year with the introduction of nickel hydride battery technology, Chapman said.• Shares of metal producers also fell as prices of nickel, copper and aluminum futures declined on the London Metal Exchange.• Louis, the nickel was the smallest coin.• Renwick, weighed down with nickels and dimes, began his calls.From Longman Business Dictionarynickelnick‧el /ˈnɪkəl/ noun1[countable] a coin in the US or Canada that is worth five centsGasoline rose more than a nickel a gallon.2[uncountable] a hard silver-white metal used in manufacturing and traded on COMMODITY MARKETsNickel rose nearly as strongly as zinc on the London Metal Exchange yesterday.Origin nickel (1700-1800) German kupfernickel substance containing nickel, from kupfer “copper” + nickel “spirit that plays tricks”; because the substance contains no copper, even though it looks like copper 