nut·meg
(nŭt′mĕg′)n.1. An evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans) native to the East Indies and cultivated for its aromatic seeds.
2. The hard, aromatic seed of this tree, used as a spice when grated or ground.
3. A grayish to moderate brown.
4. The act of kicking a soccer ball between the legs of a defender.
tr.v. nut·megged,
nut·meg·ging,
nut·megs To kick a soccerball between the legs of (a defender).
[Middle English notemuge, probably ultimately from Old French nois mugede, alteration of nois muscade, nut smelling like musk, from Old Provençal notz muscada : notz, nut (from Latin nux, nuc-, nut) + muscada, smelling like musk (from musc, musk, from Late Latin muscus; see musk). N., sense 4 and v., perhaps from earlier slang nutmegs, testicles, or current slang nuts, testicles (since the nutmegged ball passes between the defender's legs) or perhaps from rhyming slang nutmeg, leg.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.