nisus

[ nahy-suhs ]

/ ˈnaɪ səs /

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noun, plural ni·sus.

an effort or striving toward a particular goal or attainment; impulse.

QUIZ

CUDDLE UP! A COZY QUIZ ON FALL WORDS HAS ARRIVED

If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of nisus

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin nīsus “planting one’s feet firmly, strong muscular effort,” equivalent to nīt(ī) “to support or exert oneself” + -sus, variant of -tus suffix denoting the action of the verb

Words nearby nisus

nisi prius, Niskin bottle, Nissen hut, Nissl substance, Nistru, nisus, nit, nitchie, nite, niter, niterie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use nisus in a sentence

Even before them the nisus towards it, which has been noticed in the chapter before the last, is observable enough.
The English Novel|George Saintsbury
But mythology comes in and attributes them all to a nisus for self-preservation.
Human Nature and Conduct|John Dewey
The same thing happened to Nisus, king of Megara, which town was besieged by Minos.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Nisus gets away first, and shoots out far in front of the throng, fleeter than the winds or the winged thunderbolt.
The Aeneid of Virgil|Virgil

Nisus betrayed to Minos by his daughter Scylla; changed to a falcon, and Scylla to a lark.
The Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidus Naso in English blank verse Vols. I & II|Ovid

British Dictionary definitions for nisus

nisus

/ (ˈnaɪsəs) /

noun plural -sus

an impulse towards or striving after a goal

Word Origin for nisus

C17: from Latin: effort, from nītī to strive

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012