nix

See also: Nix and *nix

English

WOTD – 26 November 2008

Etymology 1

From German nix, colloquial form of nichts (“nothing”). Compare also Dutch niks (“nothing”), informal for niets (“nothing”). More at naught.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /nɪks/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪks
• Homophone: nicks

Noun

nix (uncountable)

1. (colloquial): nothing.

Synonyms

• nada
• zip

Translations

colloquial: nothing

• Afrikaans: niks
• Czech: nic (cs)
• Danish: niks
• Dutch: niets (nl), niks (nl)
• Finnish: niks
• French: ne...rien or rien (fr)
• German: nix (de)

• Italian: niente (it)
• Norwegian: niks (no)
• Persian: هیچ (fa) (hič)
• Portuguese: nada (pt) m
• Russian: ничто (ru) (ničto)
• Spanish: nada (es)

Verb

nix (third-person singular simple present nixes, present participle nixing, simple past and past participle nixed)

1. To make something become nothing; to reject or cancel.

   Nix the last order - the customer walked out.

   • 2012 June 17, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, 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.”

2. To destroy or eradicate.

Translations

to reject or cancel

• Dutch: verwerpen (nl)
• Finnish: torpata
• Persian: هیچ گرداندن (hič gardāndan)

• Russian: запрещать (ru) (zapreščatʹ), отменять (ru) (otmenjatʹ)
• Spanish: anular (es), rechazar (es), cancelar (es)

to destroy

• Dutch: vernietigen (nl)
• Finnish: niitata (fi)
• German: zerstören (de)

• Persian: نابود کردن (nābud kardan)
• Spanish: destruir (es), erradicar (es), exterminar, aniquilar (es)

Related terms

• 86 / eighty-six
• ixnay
• mox nix

Etymology 2

Noun

nix (plural nixes)

1. A treacherous water-spirit; a nixie.

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Danish

Etymology

From German nichts (“nothing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /neɡs/, [neɡ̊s]

Interjection

nix or niks

1. no, no way

Pronoun

nix

1. (nonstandard form of) niks

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German

Etymology

A widespread form in dialects all over the German language area, probably the same as standard nichts, i.e. a contraction of it.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪks/

Pronoun

nix

1. (colloquial) Alternative form of nichts (“nothing”).

   Ich hab nix gesehen.

   I saw nothing.

Interjection

nix

1. no way!

   Nix! Jetzt ist Schluss hier!

   No way! That's it now!

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Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *sniks, 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 snechta and indirectly also Sanskrit स्नेह (sneha) and Old English snāw and snīwan (English snow and snew).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /niks/

Noun

nix f (genitive nivis); third declension

1. snow

Inflection

Third declension.

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	nix	nivēs
genitive	nivis	nivum
dative	nivī	nivibus
accusative	nivem	nivēs
ablative	nive	nivibus
vocative	nix	nivēs

Related terms

• nivalis
• nivatus
• nivere
• niveus
• nivōsus
• ningit

Descendants

• Aromanian: neao, neauã
• Asturian: ñeve, nieve
• Campidanese Sardinian: nii
• Catalan: neu
• Dalmatian: nai
• Esperanto: neĝo
• Friulian: nêf, nêv
• Galician: neve
• Istro-Romanian: ne
• Italian: neve
• Ladin: nëif

• Logudorese Sardinian: nie
• Occitan: nèu
• Old French: noif
• Portuguese: neve
• Romanian: nea
• Romansch: naiv, neiv, nev
• Sardinian: ni, nia, nibe, nive
• Sicilian: nivi
• Spanish: nieve
• Venetian: neve
• Walloon: nive

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Lojban

Rafsi

nix

1. rafsi of nixli.

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Swedish

Interjection

nix

1. (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.

Synonyms

• nix pix