nas·ty

[nas-tee] adjective, nas·ti·er, nas·ti·est, noun, plural nas·ties.
adjective
1.
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean: a nasty pigsty of a room.
2.
offensive to taste or smell; nauseating.
3.
offensive; objectionable: a nasty habit.
4.
vicious, spiteful, or ugly: a nasty dog; a nasty rumor.
5.
bad or hard to deal with, encounter, undergo, etc.; dangerous; serious: a nasty cut; a nasty accident.
6.
very unpleasant or disagreeable: nasty weather.
7.
morally filthy; obscene; indecent: a nasty word.
8.
Slang. formidable: The young pitcher has a good fast ball and a nasty curve.
noun
9.
Informal. a nasty person or thing.
00:10
Nasty is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < ?

nas·ti·ly, adverb
nas·ti·ness, noun


1. dirty, foul, loathsome. 2. sickening, repulsive, repellent. 6. stormy, inclement. 7. smutty, pornographic.


1. clean, pure.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

-nasty

a combining form with the meaning “nastic pressure,” of the kind or in the direction specified by the initial element: hyponasty.

Origin:
< Greek nast(ós) pressed close (see nastic) + -y3

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
nasty (ˈnɑːstɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj , -tier, -tiest
1.  unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant
2.  (of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful: a nasty wound
3.  spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured
4.  obscene or indecent
5.  informal (Brit) nasty piece of work a cruel or mean person
 
n , -tier, -tiest, -ties
6.  an offensive or unpleasant person or thing: a video nasty
 
[C14: origin obscure; probably related to Swedish dialect nasket and Dutch nestig dirty]
 
'nastily
 
adv
 
'nastiness
 
n

-nasty
 
n combining form
indicating a nastic movement to a certain stimulus: nyctinasty
 
[from Greek nastos pressed down, close-pressed]
 
-nastic
 
adj combining form

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

nasty
c.1400, "foul, filthy, dirty, unclean," perhaps from O.Fr. nastre "bad, strange," shortened form of villenastre "infamous, bad," from vilein "villain" + -astre, pejorative suffix, from L. -aster. Alternative etymology is from Du. nestig "dirty," lit. "like a bird's nest." Likely reinforced by a Scand.
source (cf. Swed. dial. naskug "dirty, nasty"). Of weather, from 1634; of things generally, "unpleasant, offensive," from 1705. Of people, "ill-tempered," from 1825.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They don't remove enough blood to harm their host, but their bites can cause
  nasty infections and disease.
Before long you'll be creating nasty stunts that you once thought were
  inconceivable.
The beasts regarded these new vehicles with intense suspicion and had the nasty
  habit of rearing and running in their presence.
The pistol is surprisingly heavy and has a nasty kick.
Slang
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