Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

twit

 - 7 dictionary results

twit

1  [twit] ,verb, twit⋅ted, twit⋅ting, noun
Use twit in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to taunt, tease, ridicule, etc., with reference to anything embarrassing; gibe at.
2. to reproach or upbraid.
–noun
3. an act of twitting.
4. a derisive reproach; taunt; gibe.
Origin:
1520–30; aph. var. of obs. atwite, ME atwiten, OE ætwītan to taunt, equiv. to æt- at 1 + wītan to blame

twit

2  [twit] ,
–noun
a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning.
Origin:
1810–20; orig. uncert.

twit

3  [twit] ,
–noun Informal.
an insignificant or bothersome person.
Origin:
1920–25; perh. orig. n. deriv. of twit 1 , i.e., “one who twits others,” but altered in sense by assoc. with expressive words with tw- ( twaddle, twat, twerp, etc.) and by rhyme with nitwit

twit

4  [twit] ,
–noun
an excited state; dither: to be in a twit about company coming.
Origin:
prob. shortened from twitter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To twit
twit   (twĭt)   
tr.v.   twit·ted, twit·ting, twits
To taunt, ridicule, or tease, especially for embarrassing mistakes or faults. See Synonyms at ridicule.
n.  

  1. The act or an instance of twitting.

  2. A reproach, gibe, or taunt.

  3. Slang A foolishly annoying person.


[Short for obsolete atwite, from Middle English atwiten, from Old English ætwītan : æt, at; see at1 + wītan, to reproach; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]
twit'ter n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
twit

  1. n.
    a nervous or frantic state. : The twit I was in made me seem sort of silly, I'm afraid.
  2. n.
    a stupid person. (Also a term of address.) : What a yuppie twit!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

twit  (v.)
1530, aphetic form of atwite, from O.E. ætwitan "to blame, reproach," from æt "at" + witan "to blame," from P.Gmc. *witanan (cf. O.E. wite, O.S. witi, O.N. viti "punishment, torture;" O.H.G. wizzi "punishment," wizan "to punish;" Du. verwijten, O.H.G. firwizan, Ger. verweisen "to reproach, reprove," Goth. fraweitan "to avenge"), from PIE base *weid- "to see." For sense evolution, cf. L. animadvertere, lit. "to give heed to, observe," later "to chastise, censure, punish." The noun meaning "foolish, stupid and ineffectual person" is first attested 1934 in British slang, popular 1950s-60s, crossed over to U.S. with British sitcoms. It probably developed from the verb sense of "reproach" but may be influenced by nitwit.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see twit on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way