nub

noun

1. the point, gist, or heart of something.
2. a knob or protuberance.
3. a lump or small piece: a nub of coal; a nub of pencil.
4. a small mass of fibers produced on a card, dyed brilliant colors, and introduced into yarn during the spinning process.

noun

1. a small lump or protuberance
2. a small piece or chunk
3. the point or gistthe nub of a story
4. a small fibrous knot in yarn

n.“knob, lump, bump,” 1590s, variant of dialectal knub, probably a variant of knob. Figurative meaning “point, gist” first recorded 1834.