| 释义 |
nitn.1 Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch neet, nete, nette, net (Dutch neet), Middle Low German (plural) nēte, (in glossaries) nēt, nit, nēte, Old High German niz (Middle High German niz, nizze, German Niß, Nisse), representing a form without g- prefix < the same Germanic base as Old Icelandic gnit (Icelandic nit), Norwegian gnett, (Nynorsk) nit, neit, gnit, (archaic) knit, Old Swedish (plural) gnether (Swedish gnet, gnidd, gnitär), Danish gnid < an Indo-European base also represented by ancient Greek κονιδ-, κονίς, Early Irish sned (Irish sniodh), Welsh nedd, in collective sense ‘nits’ (c1370), Old Russian, Russian gnida (1534), Old Polish gnyda (1472; Polish gnida), Latvian gnīda, Albanian thëri, Albanian regional (Gheg) thëni, thni. 1. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > eggs or young > [noun] > egg(s) the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > eggs or young > [noun] > young or development of young > larva the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > group Anoplura > order Siphunculata > member of genus Pediculus (louse) > egg of α. eOE (1974) 32 Lendina, hnitu. OE tr. (Vitell.) x. 266 Hnite & wyrmas onweg to donne ðe on cildum beoð. c1350 Nominale (Cambr. Ee.4.20) in (1906) 9* W[oman]. in the seyme syketh the nete [Fr. lente]. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 217 Beta..amendeþ and doþ away nytes and oþer vnclennesse of the heed and splekkes and moles of þe face. a1425 (a1400) (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 651 (MED) Þou forth bringes of þi-self here Nites, lyse, and other vermyn sere. 1481 W. Caxton tr. (1970) 74 She can wel pyke out lyse and netis [Du. neten] out of mens heedis. a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker (1884) I. 625 Nete, lens. 1598 J. Florio Zecche, neets in the eie lids. a1627 H. Shirley (1638) iv. sig. Hv There sits my wife kembing her haire,..all the Neets in't are Spiders. 1787 ‘J. Clinker’ 8 Rats, mice, lice, flaes, neets and bugs. 1996 C. I. Macafee 234/1 Neet, a nit, the egg of a louse. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Diptera or flies > [noun] > member of > unspecified > small or gnat-like the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Diptera or flies > [noun] > suborder Nematocera > family Culicidae > genus Culex or tribe Culicini > member of 1547 A. Borde i. f. Cxxxiiv A nytte or a flye comynge..vnto a mannes mouth whan he doth take in his breth. 1684 T. Otway i. 3 The Nits dance about in't like Attoms in the Sun-shine. 1903 2 297 Gnit,..a small insect. 1980 F. Buechner 62 The heavy air was hard to breathe and swarmed with biting nits. the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > person of weak intellect > confused, muddled person > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person 1598 W. Shakespeare iv. i. 146 And his Page,..Ah heauens, it is most patheticall nit . View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. iii. 109 Thou Flea, thou Nit, thou winter cricket thou. View more context for this quotation a1618 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas (1621) i. iii. 58 A Nit, a Nothing (did he All possess); Or if then nothing any thing be less. a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle (1659) sig. I1v Strowd, y'are a Nit, a Slave, and a Pessant. 1681 N. Lee i. i. 9 Thou Flip-flap of a Man, thou vaulting Flea, thou Nit, thou Nothing. ?1786 J. Wolcot Bozzy & Piozzi ii, in ‘P. Pindar’ (1816) I. 272 Trust me, dear madam, all your dear relations Are nits—are nothings in the eye of nations. 1898 J. Baillie 71 In front of them were half-a-dozen boys..belonging to George Watson's Hospital... As they passed, one of the ‘neets’ made a remark. 1903 G. Ade 77 I don't read Books... I am an Intellectual Nit. 1941 S. J. Baker 49 Nit, a simpleton or fool. 1962 11 Aug. 6/1 I could see he wasn't very impressed with this nit sitting across the table. 1967 S. Knight xxiii. 97 The Chinese certainly enjoy celebrating, but for goodness sake! You nit, Mum—can you imagine them trooping to church on December 25? 1975 Apr. 4 The poor nit is inevitably driven..into composing something shrill. 1991 B. Howell (BNC) 197 ‘You stupid nit,’ Otley scolded. ‘This isn't The Paul Daniels Magic Show where they get up and walk away.’ the world > life > death > dead person or the dead > [adjective] 1789 J. Wolcot Subj. for Painters in (1812) II. 191 Dead in a minute as a Nit. 1838 W. M. Thackeray Fashnable Fax in (1900) XIII. 254 Down he fell as dead as a nit. 1874 T. Hardy I. xxi. 228 [The sheep] will all die as dead as nits. 1935 Z. N. Hurston i. iii. 64 Massa tole John if he ever heard tell of him layin' a whip on his hawse agin he was gointer take and kill John's hawse dead as a nit. 1999 (Nexis) 28 Dec. d1 In 2001, the..Cape Breton Development Corporation..will close its one remaining coal mine... ‘Jock’ Moores, a 61-year old retired machinist..says: ‘She's as dead as a nit.’ 4. the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > captiously 1978 (Nexis) 12 Jan. e1 One could pick nits, and point out that only a small percentage of the population actually is plagued by excessive cholesterol. 1993 25 Jan. 20/3 These early mistakes are serious, but not grievous. The press will stop picking nits once the next president is in office and actually starts doing things. 2000 (Nexis) 11 Dec. 4 d You can always count on the tax man to pick nits. the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > trivial argument, quibble > [noun] 1982 (Nexis) 27 June Abrahamson answered a question about problems by saying ‘we spend all our time on some really minor nits.’ 1986 (Nexis) 19 June d1/3 Looking at the bill as a whole, this part is just a nit... As far as I can tell, no one really focused on it. 1993 22 Jan. b4/1 Just one nit to pick. We don't like Hillary with her hair pulled up in a French twist. 2001 (Nexis) 6 Apr. 14 These are minor nits, the sort of drawbacks easily fixed to turn a very good spot into something truly remarkable. Compounds 1662 G. Torriano 144/1 To enter into the Nit-comb, viz. to sift and examine strictly and impartially, sparing none. 1917 24 Nov. 336/1 She could vouch for it that hair combed with Binns' nit comb (Bradford), after soaking it in hot vinegar, would be clear of nits. 1943 iii. 72 A square-toothed steel nit-comb..is too expensive for the poorest. 1997 A. Kahn-Din (rev. ed.) ii. v. 58 Sajit—go upstairs and ask your Dad to give you the nit comb. 1926 E. O. Essig 575 The horse bot or nit fly, Gastrophilus [sic] intestinalis. 1940 J. Still 7 A big house draws kinfolks like a horse draws nitflies. 1978 E. G. Massey 229 We traveled perhaps a mile and a half and the old horse was fighting nit flies and horseflies so I couldn't turn the lines loose. 1942 9 May 560/2 The school nurse, known affectionately as the ‘nit nurse’, resolutely tries to raise the standard of cleanliness. 1985 (Nexis) 15 Jan. (headline) Whatever happened to the nit nurse? 1995 (Nexis) 14 Nov. 41 The nit nurse, picking away at rows of prepubescent scalps. 2001 (Electronic ed.) 26 Feb. Parents complained about the demise of the nit nurse but they were never effective. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † nitn.2Origin: Perhaps formed within English, by back-formation. Etymon: nitty adj.2 Etymology: Perhaps a back-formation < nitty adj.2 (compare sense 2 at that entry).Recorded in N.E.D. (1907) as an adjective, but with only the definition ‘(See quot.)’. slang. Obsolete. rare. Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > types of wine > [noun] > strong wine 1699 B. E. Nit, wine that is brisk, and pour'd quick into a Glass. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2021). nitn.3int. Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: nix int. Etymology: Origin uncertain; compare nit v.2 Perhaps a variant of nix int., although if so the derived verb nit v.2 is attested somewhat earlier than the interjection. Australian colloquial. A. n.3the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > vigilance > keeping watch > keep watch [verb (intransitive)] > while another acts 1883 8 May (Suppl.) Orchard said, ‘I'll keep nit (meaning to give the alarm), Bush’. 1900 21 Apr. 26/2 Don't forget that rats keep ‘nit’ with splendid all-round effect. 1918 6 When I says workin' I means I keekin [sic] nit to see 'as 'ow th' D's don't hop in an' cop the brass. 1940 I. L. Idriess 20 Bill kept nit for his elder brother who was courting a girl, and earned a shilling. 1971 D. Ireland 77 They had transgressed the unwritten law that you didn't let yourself go to sleep while you were keeping nit for your mates. 1977 B. Scott 3 They'd pick a couple of the mob to keep nit then they'd hoe into the corn. B. int.the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > warning of imminent danger or evil > warning cry [interjection] > to warn of someone's approach 1898 29 Oct. 15/1 On a racecourse, the other day, saw a gentleman manipulating a purse and sovereigns. Suddenly ‘cobber’ walks up behind him, ‘Nit! Hopscotch on yer paddy-whack, right hook.’ Artist disappears. 1899 H. Lawson If I could Paint in (1964) 3rd Ser. 416 I'd call it ‘Nit! There's Mother.’ 1911 L. Stone 8 Suddenly there was a cry of ‘Nit! 'Ere's a cop!’ and the push bolted like rabbits. 1962 D. McLean 197 ‘Nit! Nit!’ the warning from David Dawes sent the youths running before they had done much harm. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022). nitn.4Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps formed within English, by conversion. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: nit adv.; naught n., nought n. Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps developed < nit adv., or perhaps a variant or alteration of naught n. or nought n., or perhaps compare nix n.1Probably unrelated to the following (compare note s.v. nit adv.):1805 R. Anderson Ballads in Cumberland Dial. 31 Silly Tom Linton left nit worth a sous. colloquial. Now rare. 1902 G. H. Lorimer xiv. 193 It's been my experience that the net profit on nothing is nit. 1910 ‘O. Henry’ v. 67 ‘You fool... Why did you do it?’ ‘The Stuff,’ explained Thomas briefly. ‘You know. But subsequently nit. Not a drop.’ This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). nitn.5Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French nit. Etymology: < French nit (formally adopted as a unit in this sense in 1948 at the 11th meeting of the Commission internationale de l'Éclairage, and published in its Recueil des travaux (1950) 145) < classical Latin nitēre to shine (see nitent adj.). Physics. the world > matter > light > illumination > [noun] > unit of illumination > candela > nit or stilb 1953 J. W. T. Walsh (ed. 2) v. 136 On the c.g.s. system the unit [of luminance] is the stilb, equal to one candela per sq. cm. or the nit, equal to one candela per sq. metre. There is no name for the corresponding unit on the British system. 1965 R. Kingslake v. 198 1 ft-L is equal to 3·43 nits. 1969 19 Mar. 80/3 A brightness (or luminous intensity) of 1 Candela per square metre is termed a Nit. Therefore, for example, 60 Candelas per square centimetre equals 600,000 Nits. 1976 31 249 The eye is presented with a uniform background, 35 nit luminance, 3° angular diameter. 2001 July 71/2 (advt.) Images are bright and crisp, with a resolution of 1024 × 768 nits of brightness and a contrast ratio of 300:1. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). † nitv.1Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: nit n.1 Etymology: < nit n.1 In sense 1 with reference to the close attention needed to clear something of nits; compare louse v. 1a and the parallel use of this verb in quot. 1596 at sense 1. Obsolete. rare. society > communication > reading > [verb (transitive)] > read attentively or laboriously society > education > learning > study > [verb (transitive)] > study diligently or hard 1596 T. Nashe Ep. Ded. sig. C I haue here tooke the paines to nit and louze ouer the Doctours Booke. 1602 i. ii. 149 Would it not grieue any good spiritt to sit a whole moneth nitting over a lousie beggarly Pamphlet? the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > infestation by noxious creatures > be infested with noxious creatures [verb (intransitive)] > deposit nits 1683 T. Tryon 596 Bugs..harbour in Bedsteads, Holes and Hangings, Nitting and breeding as Lice do in Clothes. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2021). nitv.2 Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: nit int. Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps < nit int. (although this is attested only later): see discussion at that entry. Australian colloquial. Now rare. the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away suddenly or hastily 1882 10/2 Nit, get away (usually from a foe), make tracks. 1895 15 June 4/2 ‘Nit, you chaps,’ said Bill, ‘and wait for me.’ 1899 W. T. Goodge 150 And to ‘nark it’ means to stop it And to ‘nit it’ means to fly! 1941 S. J. Baker 49 To nit, to decamp, get away (from a foe). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022). nitadv.Origin: Probably either (i) a borrowing from Dutch. Or perhaps (ii) a borrowing from German. Etymons: Dutch niet; German nit. Etymology: Probably either < Dutch niet or < German regional (southern) nit not (see nought pron., n., adv., and adj.). Compare nit n.4, and also nix adv.The following English regional examples show what appears to be an unrelated parallel development in the sense ‘and not; nor (yet)’, perhaps representing a contraction of ne yet or nor yet:1805 R. Anderson Ballads in Cumberland Dial. 7 I've twee, nit aw England can bang them.1825 J. Britton Beauties Wiltshire in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) (at cited word) ‘What time es it, you?’ ‘Oh tedden't one o'clock nit near it.’1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Strake I likes bacon straky, nit all fat. U.S. colloquial. Now rare. the world > existence and causation > existence > non-existence > [adverb] > not 1894 S. Crane in 9 Dec. iii. 2/1 As he glowered at the little Cuban, he ended his oration with one eloquent word, ‘Nit!’ 1895 W. C. Gore in Nov. 63 Nit.., not; sometimes an emphatic not. 1896 G. Ade vii. 65 ‘He's a nice boy,’ said he, and he added, after a deep sigh, ‘Nit—not.’ 1903 W. M. Bickley 10 ‘Is your scheme dead?’ ‘Nit; it's a bird.’ 1911 Jan. 28 Assuming that you were stationed at the Naval Station, Cavite, P.I., where the heat is always close to the 100 mark, a stiff collared jacket and a heavy pair of woolen trousers would be nice and comfortable. Nit. 1942 5 Jan. 57 A fine bunch of statesmen they got in this town—nit. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022). <  n.1eOE n.21699 n.3int.1883n.41902n.51953v.11596 v.21882adv.1894 |
