different between shut vs chit

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t/
• Rhymes: -?t

Etymology 1

From Middle English shutten, shetten, from Old English scyttan (“to cause rapid movement, shoot a bolt, shut, bolt, shut to, discharge a debt, pay off”), from Proto-Germanic *skutjan?, *skuttijan? (“to bar, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *skutt?, *skuttj? (“bar, bolt, shed”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewd- (“to drive, fall upon, rush”). Cognate with Dutch schutten (“to shut in, lock up”), Low German schütten (“to shut, lock in”), German schützen (“to shut out, dam, protect, guard”).

Verb

shut (third-person singular simple present shuts, present participle shutting, simple past and past participle shut)

1. (transitive) To close, to stop from being open.

2. (intransitive) To close, to stop being open.

3. (transitive or intransitive, chiefly Britain) To close a business temporarily, or (of a business) to be closed.

4. (transitive) To confine in an enclosed area.

5. (transitive) To catch or snag in the act of shutting something.

6. To preclude; to exclude; to bar out.

   • shut from every shore

Usage notes

Except when part of one of the derived terms listed below, almost every use of shut can be replaced by close. The reverse is not true -- there are many uses of close that cannot be replaced by shut.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

shut (not comparable)

1. Closed; not open.

2. (linguistics, phonetics) Synonym of close

Translations

Noun

shut (plural shuts)

1. The act or time of shutting; close.
2. A door or cover; a shutter.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Isaac Newton to this entry?)

3. The line or place where two pieces of metal are welded together.

Etymology 2

Variation of chute or shute (archaic, related to shoot) from Old English sc?otan.

Noun

shut (plural shuts)

1. (Britain, Shropshire dialect) A narrow alley or passage acting as a short cut through the buildings between two streets.

Synonyms

• (alleyway): See Thesaurus:alley

Anagrams

• Hust, STHU, Tush, huts, thus, tush

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t???t/
• Rhymes: -?t

Etymology 1

From Middle English chitte (“a young animal, cub, whelp”), from Old English *?ytten, *?ietten, *?itten, from Proto-Germanic *kitt?n? (“young animal, fawn, kid”). Cognate with Scots chit (“chit”), Low German kitte (“young animal”), German Kitz (“fawn, kid”). See also kid.

Noun

chit (plural chits)

1. A child or babe; a young, small, or insignificant person or animal.
   • “These are returns,” I said, “quite fit

     To me, who nursed you when a chit.

     For shame, lay by this envious art;

     Is this to act a sister's part?”
2. A pert or sassy young person, especially a young woman.

Etymology 2

From Middle English *chit, *chitte, from Old English ??þ (“germ, seed, sprout, shoot”), from Proto-Germanic *k?þ? (“sprout”), from Proto-Indo-European *??-, *?ey- (“to divide, part, split open, sprout”). Cognate with Middle Dutch kiede (“sprout”), dialectal German Keid (“sprout”). Doublet of scion.

Noun

chit (plural chits)

1. The embryonic growing bud of a plant

   Synonyms: shoot, sprout, seedling

   the chits of Indian corn or of potatoes
2. (obsolete) An excrescence on the body, as a wart or a pimple.

Translations

Verb

chit (third-person singular simple present chits, present participle chitting, simple past and past participle chitted)

1. (intransitive, Britain, dialect) To sprout; to shoot, as a seed or plant.
2. (transitive, Britain, dialect) To damage the outer layers of a seed such as Lupinus or Sophora to assist germination.
3. (transitive, Britain, dialect) To initiate sprouting of tubers, such as potatoes, by placing them in special environment, before planting into the soil.

Derived terms

• mini-chitted

Translations

Etymology 3

From chitty, from Hindi ?????? (ci??h?, “letter, note, written message”).

Noun

chit (plural chits)

1. (US and Britain dated) A small sheet or scrap of paper with a hand-written note as a reminder or personal message.
3. (historical) A voucher or token coin used in payrolls under the truck system.

   Synonym: scrip

4. (pharmacology) A small sheet of paper on which is written a prescription to be filled; a scrip.
5. (gaming) A smaller cardboard counter generally used not to directly represent something but for another, more transient, purpose such as tracking or randomization.
   • 2005, The unofficial, updated Third Edition of the Magic Realm Rules, by Richard Hamblen, Teresa Michelsen and Stephen McKnight

     1.4.3 Also on the board, but turned face down at the beginning of the game, are chits representing treasure sites and sounds and warnings of monsters that may arrive on the map. When characters end a turn in the hex, these chits are revealed. As characters move around the board, more and more of these chits will be revealed, letting the players know where monsters and treasures are to be found.

6. (India, China) A signed voucher or memorandum of a small debt, as for food and drinks at a club.
   • 1901, Falk, by Joseph Conrad

     He just longed to get away from here and try his luck somewhere else, but for the sake of his sister he hung on and on till he ran himself into debt over his ears—I can tell you. I, myself, could show a handful of his chits for meals and drinks in my drawer.
7. (US, slang) A debt or favor owed in return for a prior loan or favor granted, especially a political favor.

Translations

Etymology 4

Perhaps from specialized technical use of Etymology 2, above, “a bud; an excressence” (Hunter 1882).

Noun

chit (plural chits)

1. A small tool used in cleaving laths. Compare: froe.

Translations

Etymology 5

Euphemistic variation of shit.

Noun

chit (uncountable)

1. (US, slang, euphemistic) Shit.

Interjection

chit

1. (US, slang, euphemistic) Shit.

References

• chit in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “chit”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
• Hunter, Robert (1882) The Encyclopædic Dictionary: A New, and Original Work of Reference to All the Words in the English Language with a Full Account of Their Origin, Meaning, Pronunciation, and Use?^[5], Cassell, Petter, Galpin and Company

Anagrams

• itch, tich

Min Nan

Pnar

Etymology

From Proto-Pnar-Khasi-Lyngngam *?it (“warm”). Cognate with Khasi shit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t??it/

Adjective

chit

1. hot

Romanian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Greek ????? (kítos), partly through the intermediate of Slavic *kit? (cf. Old Church Slavonic ???? (kit?)). Used around the 16th century.

Noun

chit m (plural chi?i)

1. (obsolete) whale, cetacean

Synonyms

• balen?

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French quitte, itself from Latin quietus (and therefore a doublet of the inherited încet). The variant cfit is from German quitt.

Alternative forms

• cfit

Adjective

chit

1. (familiar, used in expressions) free; in peace; having paid ones debt; even

Usage notes

Used as part of colloquial expressions like "a fi chit", meaning "to not owe anyone anything; not indebted to", or "chit c?", meaning "even so, regardless".

Etymology 3

Borrowed from German Kitt.

Noun

chit n (uncountable)

1. putty

See also

• past?