nitwit

[ nit-wit ]
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noun
  1. a slow-witted, stupid, or foolish person.

Origin of nitwit

1
First recorded in 1920–25; nit (from German; dialectal variant of nicht “not”) + wit1(in the sense of “intelligence”)

Other words for nitwit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for nitwit

nitwit

/ (ˈnɪtˌwɪt) /


noun
  1. informal a foolish person

Origin of nitwit

1
C20: perhaps from nit 1 + wit 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012