nugget
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nugget
A naturally occurring, irregularly shaped lump of pure gold, as found when panning for gold or in mining.
Der Goldgräber fand einen beeindruckend großen Nugget im Flussbett.
The prospector found an impressively large nugget in the riverbed.
The form of the word is a strong clue to the meaning. In the singular ('der Nugget'), it almost always means a gold nugget. In the plural ('die Nuggets'), it almost always refers to the food.
Er hoffte, einen großen Nugget zu finden.
He hoped to find a large nugget.
The thematic context makes the meaning clear. Words like 'Gold' (gold), 'Fluss' (river), 'finden' (to find), or 'Mine' (mine) point to the gold nugget. Words like 'Hähnchen' (chicken), 'essen' (to eat), 'Portion' (portion), or 'Fast Food' (fast food) point to the food item.
In diesem Fluss wurden schon viele kleine Nuggets gefunden.
Many small nuggets have already been found in this river.
In the meaning 'Goldklumpen' (gold nugget), the word 'Gold-' is often added in front to make it unambiguous: 'der Goldnugget' (the gold nugget). Typical verbs are 'finden' (to find) or 'waschen' (to pan).
Der größte Goldnugget der Welt wog über 70 Kilogramm.
The largest gold nugget in the world weighed over 70 kilograms.
In the meaning 'Lebensmittel' (food item), the type of meat is often named, e.g. 'Chicken Nuggets' or 'Hähnchen-Nuggets' (chicken nuggets). People often speak of 'einer Portion Nuggets' (a portion of nuggets).
Viele Fast-Food-Ketten bieten vegetarische Nuggets an.
Many fast-food chains offer vegetarian nuggets.
lump
'Klumpen' and 'Nugget' can both mean an irregularly shaped solid mass. However, 'Klumpen' is general and can be made of many materials, for example earth, dough, or metal. 'Nugget' is much more specific in this meaning and refers to a natural lump of pure gold. So a gold nugget can be a 'Klumpen', but not every 'Klumpen' is a 'Nugget'. The words can be confused because both can be irregularly shaped. If it is not explicitly about gold, 'Klumpen' is usually the more appropriate word.
Der Goldsucher fand im Fluss einen kleinen Nugget.
The prospector found a small nugget in the river.
Nach dem Regen klebte ein großer Klumpen Erde an meinem Schuh.
After the rain, a large lump of earth stuck to my shoe.