Nit
/nɪt/noun
A louse egg; also, a foolish or insignificant person.
Did you know?The insult sense of nit is a later extension from the tiny louse egg, and the word’s deeper ancestry goes back to a Proto-Germanic root for a louse or louse egg, not anything mystical.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hnit- / *hnitō
“A louse egg or similar tiny parasite stage”
Old English
OE
hnitu
“A nit, especially a louse egg”
Middle English
ME
nit
“A louse egg; later, a contemptible person”
Modern English
English
nit
“A louse egg; also a foolish or insignificant person”