Nit

Nit

Noun / Verb · /nɪt/

Definition

(Noun) the egg of a louse, especially a head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis), typically found attached to a hair shaft close to the scalp; a louse at any stage of its life cycle (informal); a foolish or stupid person (British informal); a unit of luminance equal to one candela per square metre (computing/display technology); (Verb) to nitpick — to nit over details.

Origin

The insect sense: from Old English hnitu (louse egg), from Proto-Germanic *hnit-, from Proto-Indo-European *knid- (nit, louse egg). Related to German Nisse, Dutch neet, Welsh nedd. The display-technology sense (nit as a unit of luminance): from Latin nitere (to shine, to be bright) — completely unrelated etymologically to the insect. The informal British sense of a stupid person: probably an extension of the insect sense, as a nit being something small and parasitic found on an unwashed or neglected person.