Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “nīt” come from?

nīt (Middle High German) comes from Old High German nīd, from Old English nīþ, from Proto-Germanic nīþą, from Proto-Indo-European neyH- — to lead.

Ancestry of “nīt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germannīd—
2Old Englishnīþenvy, hatred, malice, spite, jealousy; envy,...
3Proto-Germanicnīþąhate, envy, malice
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanneyH-to lead
Every word from Proto-Indo-European neyH- →