nitan

See also: nítān, nítán, and nítàn

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nitan/, [ni.t̪ãn]

Pronoun

nitan

1. inessive of ni

   Synonyms: nigan, niregan, nire baitan, enegan, ene baitan

Old English

Alternative forms

• nytan

Etymology

Contraction of ne + witan

Verb

nitan

1. to not know, not be aware of
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Seven Sleepers"

     ...he þa malchus nyste hwæt he cweþan sceolde...

     He then, Malchus, knew not what to say,...'

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 20:22

     Ġit nyton hwæs ġit biddaþ.

     You two don't know what you're asking for.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 24:38-39

     On þǣm dagum ǣr þǣm flōde wǣron menn etende and drincende, and wīfiġende and ġifte sellende, ōþ þone dæġ þe Nōe on þā earċe ēode, and hīe nysson ǣr sē flōd cōm and nam hīe ealle.

     In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they didn't know until the flood came and took them all.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Invention of the Holy Cross"

     Hēo becōm tō þǣre stōwe and āfand þrēo rōde. Ān wæs þæs Hǣlendes, and þā ōðra þāra þēofa. Þā nysse hēo ġewiss hwelcu wǣre Cristes rōd.

     She came to the place and discovered three crosses. One was Jesus', and the others belonged to the thieves. But she didn't know for sure which cross was Christ's.

2. to not feel a certain emotion

Conjugation

Conjugation of nitan (preterite-present)

infinitive	nitan	nitenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	nāt	nisse, niste
second person singular	nāst	nissest, nistest
third person singular	nāt	nisse, niste
plural	niton	nisson, niston
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	nite	nisse, niste
plural	niten	nissen, nisten
imperative
singular	nite
plural	nitaþ
participle	present	past
	nitende	(ġe)niten

References

1. Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon dictionary

Old Saxon

Etymology

Contraction of ne + witan. The same process occurred in Old English with ne + willan (nillan (“to not want”)) and ne + wesan (nesan (“to not be”)). See also newitan.

Verb

nitan

1. to not know

Conjugation

Conjugation of nitan (preterite-present irregular)

infinitive	nitan
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	nēt	*nissa
2nd person singular	*nēst	*nisses
3rd person singular	nēt	*nissa
plural	*nitun	*nissun
subjunctive	present	past
1st person singular	*niti	*nissi
2nd person singular	*nitis	*nissis
3rd person singular	*niti	*nissi
plural	*nitin	*nissin
imperative	present
singular	—
plural	—
participle	present	past
	*nitandi	ne giwitan, ne witan

Derived terms

• nēthwanan

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• nittān

Etymology

From Old Norse nítján, from Proto-Germanic *newuntehun.

Numeral

nītān

1. nineteen

Descendants

• Swedish: nitton