Where does “nitwit” come from?
nitwit (English) comes from English Wit, from English with, from Middle English wiþ, from Old English wiþ, from Old English wiþer, from Proto-West Germanic wiþr, from Proto-Germanic wiþrą, from Proto-Indo-European wī-tero- — apart, asunder; away from, against.
nitwit (English): A scatterbrained or stupid person
Definitions
- A scatterbrained or stupid person
Ancestry of “nitwit”, step by step
nitwit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Wit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wit | Sanity |
| 2 | English | with | Against; In the company of; alongside, close to;... |
| 3 | Middle English | wiþ | with |
| 4 | Old English | wiþ | against, opposite; along, towards; with |
| 5 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |