nit
nit Lexical Profile
nit Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The egg or young form of a louse or other parasitic insect, typically found attached to the hair or fur of a host.
"The school nurse used a fine-toothed comb to check the children's hair for nits."
A minor, trivial flaw or petty point of criticism, especially in the phrase 'to pick nits'.
"Overall the proposal is strong, though the committee had a few nits to pick regarding the budget formatting."
A unit of luminance equal to one candela per square meter, commonly used to measure the screen brightness of monitors, televisions, and smartphones.
"The new smartphone display reaches a peak brightness of 1,500 nits, making it easy to read in direct sunlight."
British A foolish, silly, or stupid person (informal).
"Don't be such a nit; put your coat on before you go out in the rain."
• Rhymes for nit
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'hnitu', of Germanic origin and related to Ancient Greek 'konis' ('louse egg'). The physics unit of luminance is anunrelated 20th-century coinage from Latin 'nitere' ('to shine').