# nit
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nɪt/
* Audio (General Australian):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪt
* Homophone: knit

### Etymology 1

From Middle English nite, from Old English hnitu, from Proto-Germanic *hnits (compare Dutch neet, German Nisse, Norwegian nit), from Proto-Indo-European *-níd- (compare Scottish Gaelic sneadh, Lithuanian glìnda, Polish gnida, Albanian thëri, Ancient Greek κονίς (konís)).

#### Noun

nit (plural nits)
* The egg of a louse.
* A young louse.
* (UK, Ireland, slang) A head louse regardless of its age.
* (UK, slang) A fool, a nitwit.
* A minor shortcoming; the object of a nitpick.
* A nitpicker.

##### Synonyms

* dickies (Geordie)

##### Derived terms

* nit comb
* nit-keeper
* nit nurse
* nitpicker
* nit-picking
* nitpicky

##### Translations
#### Verb

nit (third-person singular simple present nits, present participle nitting, simple past and past participle nitted)
* (MLE) To have the modus vivendi of a drug addict, to live the life of a nitty.
** 2018, “Rolling Round”, HL8 and SimpzBeatz (music), performed by Sparko of OMH:Can’t miss no dots Every shot let caused I’m hittin Used to bag it up in the toilet My mumsie thought I was shittin Ever seen a junky fittin? Ever stepped in a room full of needles? No I ain’t doin no nittin

### Etymology 2

From Latin nitēre (“to shine”).

#### Noun

nit (plural nits)
* A candela per square metre.
    This brightness of this LCD screen is between 900 and 1000 nits.

### Etymology 3
#### Noun

nit (plural nits)
* Synonym of nat (“logarithmic unit of information”)

### Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Noun

nit (plural nits)
* (poker) A player with an overly cautious and reactive playing style.

##### Related terms

* nitty

### See also

* nit-noid (etymologically unrelated)

### Anagrams

* INT, ITN, TIN, i'n't, in't, int, int., tin

## Catalan
### Alternative forms

* nuit (archaic)

### Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan nuyt, from Latin noctem (compare Occitan nuèit, French nuit, Spanish noche), from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (compare English night).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈnit]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -it

### Noun

nit f (plural nits)
* night
    Antonyms: dia, jorn
    durant la nit ― during the night

#### Derived terms

* buena nueit
* fer-se de nit
* nueit de Nadal

#### Related terms

* anit
* mitjanit

### References

* “nit” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “nit”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “nit” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “nit” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Central Mahuatlán Zapoteco
### Noun

nit
* water

### References

* Basic Vocabulary, pages 7-8

## Czech
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech nit, from Proto-Slavic *nitь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nī́ˀtis, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɲɪt] (informally pronounced /ˈɲɪc/)
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: nit
* Rhymes: -ɪt

### Noun

nit f
* thread

#### Derived terms

* nitečka
* nitka

### Further reading

* “nit”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “nit”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
* “nit”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

## Icelandic
### Alternative forms

* gnit

### Etymology

From Old Norse gnit, from Proto-Germanic *hnits.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nɪːt/
* Rhymes: -ɪːt
* Homophone: nyt

### Noun

nit f (genitive singular nitar, no plural)
* nit (egg of a louse)

#### Declension
## Middle High German
### Etymology

Inherited from Old High German nīd.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (before 13th CE) /ˈniːt/

### Noun

nīt m
* hate
* hostility
* envy
* malice

#### Descendants

* German: Neid
* Luxembourgish: Näid

### References

* Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “nît”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /niːt/

### Etymology 1

From the verb nite.

#### Noun

nit n (definite singular nitet, indefinite plural nit, definite plural nita)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

nit m (definite singular niten, indefinite plural nitar, definite plural nitane)
* a nail, usually iron

##### Derived terms

* nite

### References

* “nit” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
* “nit”, in Norsk Ordbok: ordbok over det norske folkemålet og det nynorske skriftmålet, Oslo: Samlaget, 1950-2016
* “nit”, in Norsk teknisk ordbok (in Norwegian Nynorsk), 2nd edition, Oslo: Samlaget, 1984, page 530

### Anagrams

* tin

## Old Czech
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *nitь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nī́ˀtis, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (13th CE) /ˈɲit/
* IPA: (15th CE) /ˈɲit/

### Noun

nit f
* thread

#### Descendants

* Czech: nit

### Further reading

* Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “nit”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

## Ozolotepec Zapotec
### Noun

nit
* water

### References

* Basic Vocabulary, pages 7-8

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from German Niet, from Middle High German nieten, from Old High German hniotan, from Proto-West Germanic *hneudan, from Proto-Germanic *hneudaną.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɲit/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -it
* Syllabification: nit

### Noun

nit m inan
* rivet (mechanical fastener)

#### Declension
### Further reading

* nit in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* nit in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from German Niet.

### Noun

nit n (plural nituri)
* rivet

#### Declension
## San Baltazar Loxicha Zapotec
### Noun

nit
* water

### References

* Basic Vocabulary, pages 7-8

## Saterland Frisian
### Etymology

From Old Frisian [Term?]. Cognates include West Frisian net, Dutch niet and German nicht.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nɪt/
* Hyphenation: nit
* Rhymes: -ɪt

### Adverb

nit
* not
** 2000, Marron C. Fort, transl., Dät Näie Tästamänt un do Psoolme in ju aasterlauwerfräiske Uurtoal fon dät Seelterlound, Fräislound, Butjoarlound, Aastfräislound un do Groninger Umelounde [The New Testament and the Psalms in the East Frisian language, native to Saterland, Friesland, Butjadingen, East Frisia and the Ommelanden of Groningen], →ISBN, Dät Evangelium ätter Matthäus 1:20:Wilst hie noch deeruur ättertoachte, ferskeen him n Ängel fon dän Here in n Droom un kwaad: Josef, Súun fon David, freze die nit, Maria as dien Wieuw bie die aptouníemen;While he was still thinking about it, came to him an angel from the Lord in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Maria as your wife;

### References

* Marron C. Fort (2015) “nit”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *nitь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nī́ˀtis, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nîːt/

### Noun

nȋt f (Cyrillic spelling ни̑т)
* thread

#### Declension
### References

* “nit”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

## Slovene
### Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *nitь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nī́ˀtis, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /nít/

### Noun

nȉt f
* thread

#### Inflection
### Further reading

* “nit”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

## Swedish
### Etymology

From German Niet.

### Noun

nit c
* a rivet, a stud
* the action of braking (a motor vehicle) very hard
* a lottery ticket which gave no reward; a dud
    Synonym: nitlott
* (by extension) a negative outcome
* zeal

#### Synonyms

* (braking): tvärnit
* (lottery ticket): nitlott

### See also

* nita
* gå på en nit
* tvärnit

### References

* nit in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* nit in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* nit in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

### Anagrams

* int, tin

## Volapük
### Noun

nit (nominative plural nits)
* staple
* staple for office stapler

#### Declension

$^1$ status as a case is disputed $^2$ in later, non-classical Volapük only

## Wolof
### Noun

nit (definite form nit ki)
* person

## Zipser German
### Alternative forms

* nëch (Slovakia)

### Adverb

nit
* (Romania, including Wassertal) not

### References

* Claus Stephani, Zipser Mära und Kasska (1989)
* Anton-Joseph Ilk, Zipser Volksgut aus dem Wassertal (1990)