pluck
/plʌk/ · pluck
noun
- An instance of plucking. Those tiny birds are hardly worth the tedious pluck.
- The lungs, heart with trachea and often oesophagus removed from slaughtered animals. The butcher carefully removed the pluck from the carcass.
- Guts, nerve, fortitude or persistence. He didn't get far with the attempt, but you have to admire his pluck.
verb
- To pull something sharply; to pull something out. She plucked the phone from her bag and dialled.
- To take or remove (someone) quickly from a particular place or situation. The police plucked the suspect from the crowd.
- To gently play a single string, e.g. on a guitar, violin etc. Whereas a piano strikes the string, a harpsichord plucks it.
Did you know? The phrase 'pluck up the courage' is a common idiom that means to muster the strength or confidence to do something difficult or daunting.