Where does “nice” come from?
nice (Middle English) comes from Old French nice, from Latin nescius, from Latin nesciō, from Latin sciō, from Proto-Indo-European sḱēy-, from Proto-Germanic skaidą, from Proto-Indo-European skÁit- — to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,...
nice (Middle English): Alternative form of nyce
Definitions
- Alternative form of nyce
Ancestry of “nice”, step by step
nice traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French nice
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | nice | simple, foolish |
| 2 | Latin | nescius | unaware, ignorant; not knowing how, unable |
| 3 | Latin | nesciō | to not know, to be ignorant, to not understand |
| 4 | Latin | sciō | to be able to, to know, understand, to have practical knowledge |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |