nix
English
Etymology 1
From German nix, colloquial form of nichts (“nothing”)[1]. Compare also Dutch niks (“nothing”), informal for niets (“nothing”). More at naught.
Pronunciation
Noun
nix (uncountable)
- (colloquial) nothing.
Synonyms
Translations
Verb
nix (third-person singular simple present nixes, present participle nixing, simple past and past participle nixed)
- To make something become nothing; to reject or cancel.
- Nix the last order - the customer walked out.
- 1935 July 17, “Sticks Nix Hick Pix”, in Variety, page 1:
- 2012 June 17, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
- At work Mr. Burns spies Homer munching complacently on a donut and hisses that each donut Homer shoves into his fat face brings him one donut closer to the poisoned donut Mr. Burns has ordered thrown into the mix as a form of culinary Russian Roulette, only to learn from Smithers that the plant’s lawyers ultimately nixed the poisoned donut plan because “they consider it murder.”
- To destroy or eradicate.
Translations
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Related terms
References
Etymology 2
From German Nix, from Middle High German nickes, niches, from Old High German nichus, nihhus, from Proto-Germanic *nikwus (“water-spirit; nix”), from Proto-Indo-European *neygʷ- (“to wash”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“a water-monster; hippopotamus”). More at nicker.
Noun
nix (plural nixes)
- A treacherous water-spirit; a nixie.
Anagrams
Classical Nahuatl
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈníːʃ]
Noun
nīx (inanimate)
- first-person singular possessive singular of īxtli; (it is) my eye.
- first-person singular possessive plural of īxtli; (they are) my eyes.
Danish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /neɡs/, [neɡ̊s]
Interjection
nix or niks
Pronoun
nix
- (non-standard form of) niks
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nɪks/
- Hyphenation: nix
- Rhymes: -ɪks
Etymology 1
Noun
nix m (plural nixen)
Etymology 2
Pronoun
nix
- (slang) Deliberate misspelling of niks.
German
Etymology
A widespread form in dialects all over the German language area, probably the same as standard nichts, viz. a contraction of it.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nɪks/
Pronoun
nix
- (colloquial) Alternative form of nichts (“nothing”)
- Ich hab nix gesehen. ― I saw nothing.
Interjection
nix
- no way!
- Nix! Jetzt ist Schluss hier!
- No way! That's it now!
Further reading
- nix in Duden online
Latin
Etymology
From Proto-Italic *sniks (stem *sniɣʷ-), from Proto-Indo-European *snígʷʰs (“snow”), root noun derived from *sneygʷʰ- (“to snow”) (whence also Latin nivit, ningit, ninguit). Direct cognates include Ancient Greek νίφα (nípha) and Old Irish snechtae and indirectly also Sanskrit स्नेह (sneha) and Old English snāw and snīwan (English snow and snew).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /niks/, [nɪks]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /niks/
Noun
nix f (genitive nivis); third declension
Inflection
Third declension i-stem.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | nix | nivēs |
| genitive | nivis | nivium |
| dative | nivī | nivibus |
| accusative | nivem | nivēs |
| ablative | nive | nivibus |
| vocative | nix | nivēs |
Related terms
Descendants
References
- nix in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- nix in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
Pronoun
nix
Swedish
Interjection
nix
- (slang) not, no (negative response to a question)
- Någon undrade om guldfonder, men nix sade Claes, alltför osäkert.
- Someone asked about gold funds, but Claes said "nope, too risky".
- - Är det någon vi känner? Frågade pappa. - Nix, svarade jag.
- Dad asked "Is it someone we know?" "No", I answered.
- Någon undrade om guldfonder, men nix sade Claes, alltför osäkert.
Synonyms
- nix pix