Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nithing

/ˈnaɪðɪŋ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
ni-thing
IPA
/ˈnaɪðɪŋ/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A coward, a dastard; a wretch.

Archaic

noun

A wicked person; also, one who has acted immorally or unlawfully.

Archaic

adj

Cowardly, dastardly.

Archaic

adj

Notoriously evil or wicked; infamous.

Archaic

Example Sentences

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, nīþing (“coward; wretch; outlaw, villain”), from a North Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *nīþą (“envy; hate; malice”) (from Proto-Indo-European *neyH- (“to be angry”)) + *-ingō, *-ungō (suffix forming gerund nouns from verbs). The English word is cognate with Danish nidding, Late Latin nidingus, nithingus, Middle High German nīdinc, nīdunc (modern German Neiding (“(archaic) one who is envious”)), Old Norse níðingr (Icelandic níðingur (“scoundrel, rascal”), Norwegian niding), Old Swedish nīþinger (modern Swedish niding).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *neyH-, nithing, niðing, -, *nīþą

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnaɪðɪŋ/
  • British English: /ˈnaɪðɪŋ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

nithings (plural) niding (alternative) more nithing (comparative) most nithing (superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

nithing post nithing stake

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce nithing?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnaɪðɪŋ/.
What does nithing mean?
A coward, a dastard; a wretch.
Where does nithing come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nithing

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nithing”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnaɪðɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nithing”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “nithing” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.