nit

¹

[ nit ]

noun

1. the egg of a parasitic insect, especially of a louse, often attached to a hair or a fiber of clothing.
2. the young of such an insect.

nit

²

[ nit ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. a nitwit.

nit

³

[ nit ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a unit of luminous intensity equal to one candela per square meter. : nt

nit

¹

/ nɪt /

noun

1. See nitwit
   informal.
   short for nitwit

nit

²

/ nɪt /

noun

1. keep nit informal.
   keep nit to keep watch, esp during illegal activity

nit

³

/ nɪt /

noun

1. the egg of a louse, especially when adhering to human hair
2. the larva of a louse or similar insect

nit

⁴

/ nɪt /

noun

1. a unit of information equal to 1.44 bits Also callednepit

nit

⁵

/ nɪt /

noun

1. a unit of luminance equal to 1 candela per square metre

Word History and Origins

Origin of nit¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English nite, nete, nette, Old English hnitu, cognate with Dutch neet, German Niss, Old Icelandic gnit, Norwegian gnett; akin to Welsh nedd, Polish gnida, Greek konís (stem konid- ), from Proto-Indo-European root knid- “egg of a louse”

Origin of nit²

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps from nit ¹( def ); perhaps from nit(wit) ( def )

Origin of nit³

First recorded in 1950–55; from French, extracted from Latin nitor “brightness, splendor”; nitid, -or ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of nit¹

C19: from nix ¹

Origin of nit²

Old English hnitu; related to Dutch neet, Old High German hniz

Origin of nit³

C20: from N ( apierian dig ) it

Origin of nit⁴

C20: from Latin nitor brightness

Example Sentences

With a QLED panel and 2,048 local dimming zones, it offers one of the brightest displays you’ll find—2,000 NITs of bold projection.

From Popular-Science

For reference, the iPhone 13 screen averages 800 nits and maxes out at 1,200 nits, so the MacBook Pro is noticeably brighter.

From Popular-Science

The 32-inch BenQ EW3270U, one of the few 4K monitors available at this price point, maxes out at a merely acceptable 60Hz and 300 nits.

From Popular-Science

You don’t really need to truly understand what a nit is, just know that these levels are extremely bright so you’ll have no problem working in bright areas.

From Popular-Science

Last week, the luxury fashion label launched the 2nd drop from its Spring capsule featuring silks, nits, and color blocking dresses.

From Essence.com

I would hope that more people—especially editors—would be nit-pickers!

From The Daily Beast

Some people turn nit into “night,” and the sol is solar, though it may be “salt” in Russian.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, they have unleashed a storm of nit-picking and vilification.

From The Daily Beast

Even after logging countless hours nit-picking her work, there is no one I'd rather spend time with.

From The Daily Beast

If we had the sense of a Venusian water nit, we'd blast out of here so quick our tail fumes'd take off with us!

From Project Gutenberg

Eppes as glatt knn es nit sein, glatt as denn nemmt mn un' mn kummt?

From Project Gutenberg

Un' as werd wieder der igener Gepilder, ws frher; Alle lufen un' me wisst nit wuhin.

From Project Gutenberg

Die ugen kucken in offenem Korben-minche, nor see sehn die Wrter nit.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor sie kuckt trucken, wie varstinert, in ihr Ssider; nit sie wint, nit sie dawent.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bug
• insect

More About Nit

What does nit mean?

Nits are the eggs or young of small parasitic insects, most commonly lice. They are especially called this when they are attached to hair.

Nit is the basis of the word nitpick. Nit is also used as an insult referring to a stupid person, though in this case it’s a shortening of the word nitwit, which may or may not be related.

Example: Your scalp won’t be free of lice until you remove all the nits.

Where does nit come from?

The first records of nit come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English hnitu, and many languages have similar words that all mean the same thing.

Lice have plagued humans for ages, and to get rid of every last louse (the singular form of lice) you have to pick out every last nit. The image of picking nits out of someone’s hair gives us the word nitpick (or nit–pick), meaning “to point out the very minor flaws or mistakes in something.” People sometimes use the word nit (in humorous reference to the word nitpick) as a noun meaning “a minor issue, flaw, or complaint,” as in I have just a few nits to pick with your paper.

Nit can be synonymous with nitwit (“a stupid or foolish person”), but the origin of nit in nitwit is uncertain. It may be a reference to louse eggs (which is a pretty sick insult), but it could also derive from an informal German word for not. The origin of nitty in nitty-gritty is also uncertain.

Nit is also used in a few contexts that are completely unrelated to louse eggs. In Australian slang, to keep nit is to keep watch. In physics, it’s a unit that measures luminance. In information science, a nit is a unit of information equal to 1.44 bits, also called a nepit. The word knit is completely unrelated.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for nit?

• louse egg
• nitwit

What are some words that share a root or word element with nit? 

• nitpick

What are some words that often get used in discussing nit?

 

• lice
• louse
• egg
• larva
• young
• hair
• pick

What are some words nit may be commonly confused with?

 

• knit

 

How is nit used in real life?

Nit is most commonly used in discussions of lice.

“No nit” lice policies don’t follow the science. https://t.co/XQ6fY1eGPC

— Science News (@ScienceNews) June 18, 2019

Just found out that “nits” are baby lice, so “nit-picking” is actually SUPER valid and understandable.

— Colette Des Georges (@ColetteorCoco) June 20, 2018

4th and 1 at midfield and a punt? Come on Carroll, don't be such a nit. Try to think like belechick, not holmgren…

— coffee_mike (@coffee_mike) December 15, 2013

 

 

Try using nit!

Is nit used correctly in the following sentence? 

I’d rather be called a nitpicker than pick actual nits.