different between nothing vs nithing

English

Alternative forms

• (nonstandard) nuffin, nuffink, nuttin', nuthin, nuthin', nuthing, nothin'

Etymology

From Middle English nothyng, noon thing, non thing, na þing, nan thing, nan þing, from Old English n?þing, n?n þing (“nothing”, literally “not any thing”), equivalent to no +? thing. Compare Old English n?wiht (“nothing”, literally “no thing”), Swedish ingenting (“nothing”, literally “not any thing, no thing”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: n?th'?ng, IPA^(key): /?n????/
• Rhymes: -????
• Hyphenation: noth?ing
• Rhymes: -??

Pronoun

nothing (indefinite pronoun)

1. Not any thing; no thing.
2. An absence of anything, including empty space, brightness, darkness, matter, or a vacuum.

Synonyms

• (not any thing):
  • (standard): not a thing, naught
  • (slang): jack, nada, zip, zippo, zilch, squat, nix
  • (vulgar slang): bugger all, jack shit, sod all (British), fuck all, dick
  • (Northern English dialect): nowt

See Thesaurus:nothing

• (something trifling): nothing of any consequence, nothing consequential, nothing important, nothing significant, something inconsequential, something insignificant, something of no consequence, something trifling, something unimportant

Antonyms

• anything
• everything
• something

Translations

Noun

nothing (countable and uncountable, plural nothings)

1. Something trifling, or of no consequence or importance.

   - What happened to your face?
   - It's nothing.

   • 1673, Jeremy Taylor, Heniaytos: A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year […]

     Sermons are not like curious inquiries after new nothings, but pursuances of old truths.
2. A trivial remark (especially in the term sweet nothings).
3. A nobody (insignificant person).

   You're nothing to me now!

Translations

Adverb

nothing (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Not at all; in no way.

Derived terms

Related terms

Coordinate terms

• nobody, no one
• nowhere

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “nothing”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

English

Etymology

From Middle English nithing, nithinc, nything, nythyng, nythynge, niþinge, nyþing, nyþyng, Early Middle English niðing, niþinc, niþincke (“coward, wretch; good-for-nothing; term of address for a boy or lad; stingy or miserly person; niggardly, miserly, stingy”), from Late Old English nithing, Old English niðing, n?þing (“coward; wretch; outlaw, villain”), from a North Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *n?þ? (“envy; hate; malice”) (from Proto-Indo-European *neyH- (“to be angry”)) + *-ing?, *-ung? (suffix forming gerund nouns from verbs).

The English word is cognate with Danish nidding, Late Latin nidingus, nithingus, Middle High German n?dinc, n?dunc (modern German Neiding (“(archaic) one who is envious”)), Old Norse níðingr (Icelandic níðingur (“scoundrel, rascal”), Norwegian niding), Old Swedish n?þinger (modern Swedish niding).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /?na?ð??/
• Hyphenation: ni?thing

Noun

nithing (plural nithings)

1. (archaic) A coward, a dastard; a wretch.

   Synonyms: nidering, niddering; see also Thesaurus:coward
2. (archaic) A wicked person; also, one who has acted immorally or unlawfully.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:villain

Alternative forms

• niding

Derived terms

• nidering, niddering
• nithing post
• nithing stake

Related terms

• nithe

Translations

Adjective

nithing (comparative more nithing, superlative most nithing)

1. (archaic) Cowardly, dastardly.

   Synonyms: nidering, niddering; see also Thesaurus:cowardly
2. (archaic) Notoriously evil or wicked; infamous.

   Synonyms: nidering, niddering; see also Thesaurus:evil

Alternative forms

• niding

Translations

References

Further reading

• n?þ on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• nithing in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• hinting