nit

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈnit How to pronounce nit (audio)
plural nits
Synonyms of nitnext
1
: the egg of a louse or other parasitic insect
also : the insect itself when young
2
: a minor shortcoming
Most of the feedback is adulatory, some critical (his public loves to catch him in mistakes, or at least pick nits [=criticize minor shortcomings]) and some downright nasty.—Rudolph Chelminski
My only nit to pick is the chaotic presentation of the home page and its not being an especially user-friendly guide to the content.—David L. Coddon

nit

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural nits
chiefly British
: a silly or stupid person : nitwit

nit

3 of 4

noun (3)

plural nits
: a unit of luminance equal to one candela per square meter
The 14-inch touchscreen display comes with a 2.2K resolution that can reach 300 nits of brightness.—Chuong Nguyen

NIT

4 of 4

abbreviation

National Invitational Tournament

Synonyms

Noun (2)

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of nit in a Sentence

Noun (2) stop being such a great nit and listen to what I have to say some nit at the bar was claiming all politicians are crooked

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English nite, from Old English hnitu; akin to Old High German hniz nit, Greek konid-, konis

Noun (3)

borrowed from French, from the base of Latin nitēre "to shine" — more at neat entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1598, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nit was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing nit

Dictionary Entries Near nit

nisus

nit

NIT

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Cite this Entry

“Nit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nit. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

nit

noun
ˈnit
1
: the egg of a louse or similar insect
also : the insect itself when young
2
: a minor shortcoming

Medical Definition

nit

noun
ˈnit How to pronounce nit (audio)
: the egg of a louse or other parasitic insect
also : the insect itself when young

More from Merriam-Webster on nit

Nglish: Translation of nit for Spanish Speakers

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