n. [ Earlier niggot, prob. for nigot, an ingot. See Ingot. ] 1. A lump; a mass, esp. a native lump of a precious metal; as, a nugget of gold. [ 1913 Webster ]
2. Something of value, usually found among many other less valuable things; -- often used figuratively; as, a nugget of useful information in a sea of data. [ PJC ]