"N" Word Origins

nigerien

Origin

From French nigérien, from Niger + -ien.

nigga

Origin

A dialectal respelling of "nigger" reflecting African American Vernacular English pronunciation, which took on a distinct, partly reclaimed meaning separate from the original slur.

niggard

Origin

From Middle English nigard, nygard (“miser”), from nig (“niggardly person”), possibly of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Icelandic hnøggr (“miserly, stingy”), Old Norse *hniggw, with descendants Swedish njugg (“stingy”), dialectal Swedish niggla (“be stingy”), dialectal Norwegian nigla. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hnauwjaz, source of Old English hneaw (“stingy”), replaced by Middle English nig. Possibly cognate to niggle (“miser”). Compare German Knicker (“niggard”), knickerig (“niggardly”). Unrelated to the word nigger, but see the usage notes.

nigger

Latin · 1900

From French nègre and Spanish negro, both ultimately from Latin niger, "black." It was a neutral descriptive term in earlier centuries but became a term of contempt through its long association with slavery and racism, and by the 20th century had become a slur.

nigget

Origin

Uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of nidiot and/or nidget (noun and verb); perhaps connected with midget.

niggle

Origin

First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from dialectal Norwegian nigla (“to be stingy, to busy oneself with trifles”), ultimately from Old Norse hnøggr (“stingy; miserly”), related to Old English hnēaw (“stingy; niggardly”). More at niggard.

niggly

Origin

From niggle + -y.

nigh

Old English

From Old English nēah, meaning "near" — an older form of the modern word "near."

night

Latin

From Old English niht, going back to a very old Proto-Indo-European root also found in Latin nox and Greek nykta — the same ancient word behind "nocturnal" and "equinox."

nightcap

Origin

From night + cap — originally the literal sleeping cap, with the "bedtime drink" sense developing later by association.

nightclub

Origin

From night + club.

nightcrawler

Origin

From night + crawler.

nightdress

Origin

From night + dress.

nightfall

Origin

From night + fall, on the pattern of the sun or light "falling" away at the end of the day.

nightgown

Origin

From night + gown.

nighthawk

Origin

From night + hawk, describing a bird active at night that resembles a hawk in flight though it is unrelated to true hawks.

nightie

Origin

From night + the diminutive suffix -ie.

nightingale

Old English

From Old English nihtegale, literally "night-singer," from night plus an old word related to "gale" meaning "song" or "call."

nightish

Origin

From Middle English nyghtyssh, equivalent to night + -ish.

nightlife

Origin

From night + life.

nightly

Old English

From Old English nihtlic, from night plus the adjective-forming suffix -ly.

nightmare

Middle English

From Middle English nightmare, from night plus mare, an old word for an evil spirit believed to sit on a sleeper's chest and cause suffocating dreams — not related to the horse sense of "mare."

nightmarish

Origin

From nightmare + -ish.

nights

Old English

From Old English nihtes, an old adverbial form of "night" meaning "by night."

nightshade

Old English

From Old English nihtsceada, from night + shade, likely referring to the plant's dark berries or its use in causing drowsiness or hallucination.

nightshirt

Origin

From night + shirt.

nightspot

Origin

From night + spot.

nightstand

Origin

From night (as in "bedtime") + stand, a piece of furniture that supports objects.

nightstick

Origin

From night + stick, referring to its use by officers on night patrol.

nighttime

Origin

From night + time.

nightwalker

Origin

* night + walker * (vampire): since they are traditionally said to avoid sunlight and go out at night.

nightwork

Origin

From night + work. Compare Dutch nachtwerk, German Nachtwerk.

nighty

Origin

From night + -y, a playful diminutive suffix used in casual speech.

nigiri

Origin

Borrowed from Japanese 握り (nigiri, “grasping, gripping”, short for 握り寿司 nigirizushi, literally “gripped sushi” from the way the sushi rice is molded in the hand).

nigori

Origin

From Japanese 濁(にご)り (nigori).

nihilism

Origin

Probably borrowed from French nihilisme, German Nihilismus, or Late Latin nihilismus; the French, German, and Latin words are derived from Latin nihil (“indefinite nothing”), from nihilum (“nothing”), from ne- (prefix negating the principal meaning) + hīlum (“a trifle; not in the least”). The English word is cognate with Italian nichilismo, Spanish nihilismo, Russian нигили́зм (nigilízm), philosophical doctrine grounded on negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life; emptiness; lack of education and cultural refinement.

nihilist

Origin

From Latin nihil (“nothing”) + -ist.

nihility

Origin

From Renaissance Latin nihilitās, from Latin nihil (“nothing”).

Nike

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Nike, meaning "victory" — the same root the sportswear brand borrowed for its name.

Nikhil

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit निखिल (nikhila).

Nikita

Ancient Greek

From the Russian Ники́та (Nikíta), a male given name, from Ancient Greek Νικήτας (Nikḗtas, “conqueror”) also a male given name (and name of various saints). The Greek word derives from νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”). Made known in the West by Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Union leader in 1953–1964. It was reanalyzed as a form of Nicholas and taken up as a girls' name first in French and then in English.

Nikki

Origin

20th-century fanciful respelling of Nicky.

Nikko

Origin

From the Nikko brand name, which became a generic term the way "biro" did for ballpoint pens.

nikoleta

Origin

Transliteration of Greek Νικολέτα (Nikoléta), a female given name used in (modern) Greece.

nil

Latin

From Latin nīl, itself a shortening of nihil ("nothing") — the same root that gives us nihilism.

Nile

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Νεῖλος (Neîlos).

nim

Old English

From Old English niman, "to take" — the same ancient root that gives us "nimble" and "numb."

nimble

Old English

From Old English words meaning "quick to grasp" or "able to take hold" — from the same root as "nim" (to take).