different between nitwit vs dill

English

Etymology

First attested in the 1910s in the US Northeast. Likely from German nit, dialectal form of nichts (“nothing”), or Yiddish ???? (nit), dialectal form of ????? (nisht, “no”), although some dictionaries give the alternative etymology nit (“louse egg; something very small”) +? wit.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?n?tw?t/

Noun

nitwit (plural nitwits)

1. (informal) A scatterbrained or stupid person.
   • 1918, State Bar Association of Connecticut, Annual Report, page 82

     If you don't remember you are a nitwit. If you do answer, well, you know what the penalty is for perjury.

   • 1921, Emmett Campbell Hall, "Need a Hero be a Nitwit?", The Editor, page 58

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fool

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??/
• Rhymes: -?l

Wikispecies

Etymology 1

From Middle English dile, from Old English dile (“dill, anise”); from Proto-Germanic *dilja-, of uncertain, probably non-Indo-European origin, possibly a west European substrate.

Cognate with Old Saxon dilli, Dutch dille, Swedish dill, German Dill.

Noun

dill (countable and uncountable, plural dills)

1. Anethum graveolens (the type species of the genus Anethum), a herb, the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; also known as dillseed.
2. A cucumber pickled with dill flavoring

   Synonym: dill pickle

3. (informal) a fool.
   • 2016, Robert G. Barrett, And De Fun Don't Done: A Les Norton Novel

     He could go over and monster his way among the poms, but he was that drunk he'd probably only make a dill of himself

Synonyms

• (herb): anet, dillseed, Peucedanum graveolens
• (type of pickle): dill pickle

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

dill (third-person singular simple present dills, present participle dilling, simple past and past participle dilled)

1. To cook or flavor with dill

See also

• cornichon
• cucumber
• gherkin
• graveolens
• pickled cucumber
• pickle

Etymology 2

Variant of dull

Verb

dill (third-person singular simple present dills, present participle dilling, simple past and past participle dilled)

1. To still; to assuage; to calm; to soothe, as one in pain.

References

Further reading

• dill at OneLook Dictionary Search
• dill in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• dill on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Anethum graveolens on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Anethum graveolens on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse dylja, from Proto-Germanic *dilja-, of uncertain, non-Indo-European origin, possibly a substrate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?l?/
• Rhymes: -?l?

Noun

dill n (genitive singular dills, no plural)

1. dill (Anethum graveolens)

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish dil, from Old Norse dylja, from Proto-Germanic *dilja-, of uncertain, non-Indo-European origin, possibly a substrate.

Pronunciation

Noun

dill c (uncountable)

1. the herb dill

Declension

Westrobothnian

Alternative forms

• dell
• del
• dil
• dl

Etymology

From Old Norse til, from Proto-Germanic *tila- (“goal”), from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near, at”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /del/, /d?l/

  Rhymes: -el, -?l

Particle

dill

1. Used to indicate the infinitive form of a verb; compare English to.

Preposition

dill

1. to (indicating destination)

Adverb

dill

1. another, one more

Derived terms