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nit

[nit]

Origin

noun

the egg of a parasitic insect, especially of a louse, often attached to a hair or a fiber of clothing.

the young of such an insect.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English nite, Old English hnitu, cognate with Dutch neet, German Niss, Norwegian nit

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Nit is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun Physics.

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

Origin:
1950–55; extracted from Latin nitor brightness; see nitid, -or¹

noun Chiefly British.

a nitwit.

Origin:
by shortening

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

nit¹ (nɪt)

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

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

nit² (nɪt)

—n
	a unit of luminance equal to 1 candela per square metre

[C20: from Latin nitor brightness]

nit³ (nɪt)

—n
	informal chiefly (Brit) short for nitwit

nit⁴ (nɪt)

—n
	Also called: nepit a unit of information equal to 1.44 bits

[C20: from N(apierian dig)it]

nit⁵ (nɪt)

—n
	informal (Austral) keep nit to keep watch, esp during illegal activity

[C19: from nix¹]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

nit

O.E. hnitu "louse egg, nit," from P.Gmc. *khnito (cf. Norw. nit, M.Du. nete, Du. neet, M.H.G. niz, Ger. Niß), related to Rus., Pol. gnida, Czech knida, Gk. konid-. Verb nit-pick is first attested 1962, from earlier nitpicker "pedantic critic" (1951).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

nit (nĭt)
n.
The egg or young of a parasitic insect, such as a louse.

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

NIT