Word Study
nit
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun nit has 2 senses
- nit(n = noun.quantity) - a luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source; is a kind of luminance unit
- nit(n = noun.animal) - egg or young of an insect parasitic on mammals especially a sucking louse; often attached to a hair or item of clothing; is a kind of egg
CIDE DICTIONARY
nit, n. [AS. hnitu; akin to D. neet, G. niss, OHG. niz; cf. Gr. koni`s, koni`dos, Icel. gnit, Sw. gnet, Dan. gnid, Russ. & Pol. gnida, Bohem. hnida, W. nedd.].
The egg of a louse or other small insect. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
nit, n.
1 the egg or young form of a louse or other parasitic insect esp. of human head-lice or body-lice.
2 Brit. sl. a stupid person.
1 the egg or young form of a louse or other parasitic insect esp. of human head-lice or body-lice.
2 Brit. sl. a stupid person.
Idiom
nit-pick colloq. indulge in nit-picking. nit-picker colloq. a person who nit-picks. nit-picking n. & adj. colloq. fault-finding in a petty manner.
nit, int. Austral. sl. used as a warning that someone is approaching.
Idiom
keep nit keep watch; act as guard.
Etymology
19th c.: orig. unkn.: cf. NIX(3)
THESAURUS
nit
adverse criticism, animadversion, aspersion, bad notices, bad press, captiousness, carping, cat flea, cavil, caviling, censoriousness, chigoe, cockroach, crab, criticism, dog flea, exception, faultfinding, flak, flea, grayback, hairsplitting, hit, home thrust, hostile criticism, hypercriticalness, hypercriticism, imputation, jigger, knock, louse, mite, nagging, nay, niggle, niggling, nit-picking, nix, no, nope, obloquy, overcriticalness, parasite, pestering, pettifogging, priggishness, quibble, quibbling, rap, red bug, reflection, reproachfulness, roach, sand flea, slam, stricture, swipe, taking exception, trichoschistism, vermin, weevil
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