See nitwit in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for nitwit meaning in English (4.7kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "de",
"3": "nit",
"4": ""
},
"expansion": "German nit",
"name": "uder"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "nichts",
"3": "",
"4": "nothing"
},
"expansion": "nichts (“nothing”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "yi",
"3": "ניט"
},
"expansion": "Yiddish ניט (nit)",
"name": "uder"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "yi",
"2": "נישט",
"3": "",
"4": "no"
},
"expansion": "נישט (nisht, “no”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nit",
"3": "wit",
"gloss1": "louse egg; something very small"
},
"expansion": "nit (“louse egg; something very small”) + wit",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "First attested in the 1910s in the US Northeast. Likely from German nit, dialectal form of nichts (“nothing”), or Yiddish ניט (nit), dialectal form of נישט (nisht, “no”), although some dictionaries give the alternative etymology nit (“louse egg; something very small”) + wit.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "nitwits",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "nitwit (plural nitwits)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English bahuvrihi compounds",
"parents": [
"Bahuvrihi compounds",
"Compound terms",
"Exocentric compounds",
"Terms by etymology"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English undefined derivations",
"parents": [
"Undefined derivations",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "People",
"orig": "en:People",
"parents": [
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1918, State Bar Association of Connecticut, Annual Report, page 82",
"text": "If you don't remember you are a nitwit. If you do answer, well, you know what the penalty is for perjury.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"text": "1921, Emmett Campbell Hall, “Need a Hero be a Nitwit?”, in The Editor, page 58:",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1922, Nina Wilcox Putnam, Laughter Inc",
"text": "\"Don't be a nitwit, honey!\" says Adele. \"Here, let me open the door! Ma be I did leave them lights on, though it ain't ike me!\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A scatterbrained or stupid person."
],
"id": "en-nitwit-en-noun-72r9Rgfp",
"links": [
[
"scatterbrained",
"scatterbrained"
],
[
"stupid",
"stupid"
],
[
"person",
"person"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal) A scatterbrained or stupid person."
],
"tags": [
"informal"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "glupak",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "глупак"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"word": "Schwachkopf"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Dummkopf"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "sciocco"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"word": "poroheahea"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"word": "hākawa"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "głupek"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "bezvèznjāk"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "budàla"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "blèsan"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "zvèkan"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪtwɪt/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/03/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/03/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
],
"text": "Audio (Southern England)"
}
],
"word": "nitwit"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "de",
"3": "nit",
"4": ""
},
"expansion": "German nit",
"name": "uder"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "nichts",
"3": "",
"4": "nothing"
},
"expansion": "nichts (“nothing”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "yi",
"3": "ניט"
},
"expansion": "Yiddish ניט (nit)",
"name": "uder"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "yi",
"2": "נישט",
"3": "",
"4": "no"
},
"expansion": "נישט (nisht, “no”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nit",
"3": "wit",
"gloss1": "louse egg; something very small"
},
"expansion": "nit (“louse egg; something very small”) + wit",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "First attested in the 1910s in the US Northeast. Likely from German nit, dialectal form of nichts (“nothing”), or Yiddish ניט (nit), dialectal form of נישט (nisht, “no”), although some dictionaries give the alternative etymology nit (“louse egg; something very small”) + wit.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "nitwits",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "nitwit (plural nitwits)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English bahuvrihi compounds",
"English compound terms",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English informal terms",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from German",
"English terms derived from Yiddish",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with quotations",
"English undefined derivations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned",
"en:People"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1918, State Bar Association of Connecticut, Annual Report, page 82",
"text": "If you don't remember you are a nitwit. If you do answer, well, you know what the penalty is for perjury.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"text": "1921, Emmett Campbell Hall, “Need a Hero be a Nitwit?”, in The Editor, page 58:",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1922, Nina Wilcox Putnam, Laughter Inc",
"text": "\"Don't be a nitwit, honey!\" says Adele. \"Here, let me open the door! Ma be I did leave them lights on, though it ain't ike me!\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A scatterbrained or stupid person."
],
"links": [
[
"scatterbrained",
"scatterbrained"
],
[
"stupid",
"stupid"
],
[
"person",
"person"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal) A scatterbrained or stupid person."
],
"tags": [
"informal"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪtwɪt/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/03/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/03/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nitwit.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
],
"text": "Audio (Southern England)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "glupak",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "глупак"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"word": "Schwachkopf"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Dummkopf"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "sciocco"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"word": "poroheahea"
},
{
"code": "mi",
"lang": "Maori",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"word": "hākawa"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "głupek"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "bezvèznjāk"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "budàla"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "blèsan"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "scatterbrained or stupid person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "zvèkan"
}
],
"word": "nitwit"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.