nix
EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From German nix, colloquial form of nichts (“nothing”).[1][2] Compare also Dutch niks (“nothing”), informal for niets (“nothing”). More at naught.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
nix (uncountable)
- (colloquial) Nothing. [from 1789]
- 1912, Edna Ferber, “Maymeys from Cuba”, in Buttered Side Down:
- "That's a clean lift from Kipling—or is it Conan Doyle? Anyway, I've read something just like it before. Say, kid, guess what these magazine guys get for a full page ad.? Nix. That's just like a woman. Three thousand straight. Fact."
- 1920, Harold MacGrath, chapter 26, in The Drums of Jeopardy:
- "I can take you down, Miss Conover, but I cannot take Mr. Hawksley. When the boss gives me an order I obey it—if I possibly can. On the day the boss tells me you can go strolling, I'll give you the key to the city. Until then, nix! No use arguing, Mr. Hawksley."
TranslationsEdit
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VerbEdit
nix (third-person singular simple present nixes, present participle nixing, simple past and past participle nixed)
- To make something become nothing; to reject or cancel. [from 1903]
- 1935 July 17, “Sticks Nix Hick Pix”, in Variety, volume 119, number 5, page 1:
- Sticks Nix Hick Pix [headline]
- 2012 June 17, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club[1]:
- At work Mr. Burns spies Homer munching complacently on a donut and hisses that each donut Homer shoves into his fat face brings him one donut closer to the poisoned donut Mr. Burns has ordered thrown into the mix as a form of culinary Russian Roulette, only to learn from Smithers that the plant’s lawyers ultimately nixed the poisoned donut plan because “they consider it murder.”
- To destroy or eradicate.
TranslationsEdit
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InterjectionEdit
nix
- No! Not at all!
- 1916 January 1, The Electrical Experimenter, New York, page 472, column 2:
- "Ugh! An inventor, eh?" "Nix! He's not an inventor himself, but he antes-up for 'em."
- (obsolete) A warning cry when a policeman or schoolmaster etc. was seen approaching.
Related termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “nix”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “nix”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Etymology 2Edit
From German Nix, from Middle High German nickes, niches, from Old High German nichus, nihhus, from Proto-Germanic *nikwus (“water-spirit; nix”), from Proto-Indo-European *neygʷ- (“to wash”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“a water-monster; hippopotamus”).
NounEdit
nix (plural nixes)
- A treacherous water-spirit; a nixie.
TranslationsEdit
AnagramsEdit
Central FranconianEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- nieks (variant spellings)
- neihst (Moselle Franconian)
- nüüx (westernmost Ripuarian)
- nühs (most of Ripuarian)
EtymologyEdit
From German nix. Compare Central Franconian nüüx and nühs.
PronunciationEdit
PronounEdit
nix (indefinite)
Classical NahuatlEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
nīx (inanimate)
- first-person singular possessive singular of īxtli; (it is) my eye.
- first-person singular possessive plural of īxtli; (they are) my eyes.
DanishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From German nichts (“nothing”).
PronunciationEdit
InterjectionEdit
nix or niks
PronounEdit
nix
- (non-standard form of) niks
DutchEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
NounEdit
nix m (plural nixen)
- nix, nixie (water spirit)
- 1956, s-Gravenhage. Maandblad der gemeente 's-Gravenhage, page 14.
- Zijn dit nu de nixen van Heinrich Heine of de zwanen van de Scandinavische ballades?
- Are these then Heinrich Heine's nixes or the swans of Scandinavian ballads?
- Synonyms: nikker, watergeest
- 1956, s-Gravenhage. Maandblad der gemeente 's-Gravenhage, page 14.
Etymology 2Edit
PronounEdit
nix
GermanEdit
EtymologyEdit
A widespread form in dialects all over the German language area, probably the same as standard nichts, viz. a contraction of it.
PronunciationEdit
PronounEdit
nix
- (colloquial) Alternative form of nichts (“nothing”)
- Ich hab nix gesehen. ― I saw nothing.
DescendantsEdit
- → English: nix
InterjectionEdit
nix
- no way!
- Nix! Jetzt ist Schluss hier!
- No way! That's it now!
Further readingEdit
LatinEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Italic *sniks (with oblique stem *sniɣʷ- > niv-), from Proto-Indo-European *snéygʷʰs (“snow”), root noun derived from *sneygʷʰ- (“to snow”) (whence also Latin nivit, ningit, ninguit). Direct cognates include Ancient Greek νίφα (nípha) and Old Irish snechtae and indirectly also Sanskrit स्नेह (sneha), Old Church Slavonic снѣгъ (sněgŭ) and Old English snāw and snīwan (English snow and snew).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
nix f (genitive nivis); third declension
- snow
- (figurative) white hair
- (alchemy) Synonym of cadmia, zinc oxide
DeclensionEdit
Third-declension noun (i-stem).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | nix | nivēs |
Genitive | nivis | nivium |
Dative | nivī | nivibus |
Accusative | nivem | nivēs nivīs |
Ablative | nive | nivibus |
Vocative | nix | nivēs |
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
- Balkan Romance:
- Dalmatian:
- Insular Romance:
- Italo-Romance:
- North Italian:
- Gallo-Romance:
- Vulgar Latin:
- Borrowings:
- → German: nix, nichts
- English: nill, nihil album
- French: nihil-gris, nihil-blanc
- → German: nix, nichts
ReferencesEdit
- Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang (2008-), “*/ˈnɪβ-e/”, in Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman, Nancy: Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française.
- Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1911), “nĭx”, in Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), page 438
- Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “nĭx”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 7: N–Pas, page 156
Further readingEdit
- “nix”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “nix”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
Low GermanEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
Compare to German nichts (“nothing”)
PronounEdit
nix
Derived termsEdit
- nix för ungud (Paderbornisch); nix för ungood/nix för ungod (North-Western)
Pennsylvania GermanEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronounEdit
nix
RomanianEdit
EtymologyEdit
NounEdit
nix m (plural nicși)
DeclensionEdit
ReferencesEdit
SwedishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From German nichts (“nothing”).
InterjectionEdit
nix
- (slang) not, no (negative response to a question)
- Någon undrade om guldfonder, men nix sade Claes, alltför osäkert.
- Someone asked about gold funds, but Claes said "nope, too risky".
- – Är det någon vi känner? Frågade pappa. – Nix, svarade jag.
- Dad asked "Is it someone we know?" "No", I answered.