nicht

See also: nicht-

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch nichte, from Old Dutch *nift, from Proto-West Germanic *nifti, from Proto-Germanic *niftiz, from Proto-Indo-European *néptih₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪxt/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nicht
• Rhymes: -ɪxt

Noun

nicht f (plural nichten, diminutive nichtje n)

1. female cousin; daughter of someone's uncle or aunt
2. niece; daughter of someone's brother or sister
3. niece; daughter of someone's brother- or sister-in-law

Alternative forms

• nift (obsolete, Holland)
• nifte (obsolete, Holland)

Derived terms

• achternicht

Descendants

• Afrikaans: niggie (from the Hollandic diminutive nichie)
• Negerhollands: nechi, nechtje, negje

Noun

nicht m (plural nichten, diminutive nichtje n)

1. (sometimes derogatory) male homosexual, a gay man; in particular one who is camp or effeminate

Derived terms

• leernicht
• nichtendom
• nichterig
• relnicht
• pisnicht

German

Alternative forms

• nich, nich' (informal writing, reflecting the common pronunciation)
• net, nit (colloquial; in central Germany, southern Germany, Austria)

Etymology

From Middle High German niwiht, niweht, niht, a contracted form of Old High German niowiht, from nio (“never”) + wiht (“being, creature”), the last from Proto-Germanic *wihtą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪçt/
  • IPA^(key): [nɪçt] (predominant)
  • IPA^(key): [niçt] (Bavaria; parts of Austria; Ruhrgebiet)
  • IPA^(key): [nɪxt], [nixt], [-χt] (Switzerland; parts of Austria)
  • IPA^(key): [nɪɕt], [nəɕt], [-ʃt] (parts of central Germany)
• IPA^(key): /nɪç/ (common speech; quasi-standard in northern and central Germany; alternations as above)

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪçt, -ɪç

Adverb

nicht

1. not, non- (negates the meaning of a verb, adjective, or adverb)

   Bitte nicht stören!

   Please do not disturb!

   Das ist nicht wahr.

   That is not true.

Derived terms

• nichtig
  • Nichtigkeit

Interjection

nicht?

1. (tag question, dated or formal) right?; is it?; is it not?

   Synonyms: gell, ne, nicht wahr, oder, oder nicht, wa

   Du bist sicher die Claudia, nicht?

   You must be Claudia, aren't you?

Further reading

• “nicht” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “nicht” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “nicht” in Duden online

Kashubian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *nikъto.

Pronoun

nicht

1. nobody, no one

Further reading

• “nicht”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “nikt”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi

Scots

Etymology

From Old English niht.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪçt/, /nixt/

Noun

nicht (plural nichts)

1. night, evening
   • c. 1495, William Dunbar, The Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo:

     Apon the Midsummer evin, mirriest of nichtis, / I muvit furth allane [...].

2. (definite singular) tonight
   • It's a braw, bricht, moonlit nicht the nicht. It's a beautiful, bright moonlit night tonight.

Derived terms

• fortnicht

West Frisian

Alternative forms

• nift

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch nicht.

Noun

nicht c (plural nichten, diminutive nichtsje)

1. female cousin

   Coordinate term: neef

2. (archaic) niece

Further reading

• “nicht”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011