nix

[niks]Slang.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nix ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

nothing.

adverb

no¹(def 1).

interjection

(used as an exclamation, especially of warning): Nix, the cops!

verb (used with object)

to veto; refuse to agree to; prohibit: to nix the project.

Origin of nix

1780–90; < German: variant of nichts nothing

nix

[niks]

noun, plural nix·es.

(in Germanic folklore) a water spirit that draws its victims into its underwater home.

Origin of nix

1825–35; < German Nix, Old High German nihhus; cognate with Old English nicor water monster, Old Norse nykr, Norwegian nøkk, Swedish näck; compare Sanskrit nenekti (he) washes

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nix

no, veto, refusal, forbidding, nothing, sprite

Examples from the Web for nix

Contemporary Examples of nix

Nix a couple of soybean subsidies and we could have avoided war and just bought the damn country.
Up to a Point: P.J. O’Rourke on SOTU, the Super Bowl and Nukes
P. J. O’Rourke
January 31, 2014
The Pollock-Krasner Authentication Board continued to nix Red, Black and Silver, until they disbanded in 1996.
Red, Black, and Silver’ Just May Be Jackson Pollock’s Last Painting
Anthony Haden-Guest
January 18, 2014
But he did nix weekend hours, which still has some folks concerned.
On "Contorting" the Voting Process
Michael Tomasky
August 20, 2012
After nearly three hours of abuse, Ogborn was forced by the man on the phone to perform oral sex on Nix.
‘Compliance’: The Year’s Most Controversial Film
Marlow Stern
August 18, 2012
After that, Nix was permitted by the cop to leave and find someone to replace him.
‘Compliance’: The Year’s Most Controversial Film
Marlow Stern
August 18, 2012

Historical Examples of nix

I wanted the old gent to start me up in it, but he said, 'Nix come arouse.'
Wayside Courtships
Hamlin Garland
Also am second in altitude, but nix on the altitude again, I'm pretty poor at it.
The Trail of the Hawk
Sinclair Lewis
I've had to drill the whole forenoon and have got nix to eat but a poor soup.
In the Foreign Legion
Erwin Rosen
With a triumphant air, the gold spectacles turned to our friend Nix.
The Art of Amusing
Frank Bellew
Our friend Nix asked why Moses and the Jews were the best-bred people in the world?
The Art of Amusing
Frank Bellew

British Dictionary definitions for nix

nix

sentence substitute

another word for no 1 (def. 1)

be careful! watch out!

noun

a rejection or refusal

nothing at all

verb

(tr) to veto, deny, reject, or forbid (plans, suggestions, etc)

Word Origin for nix

C18: from German, colloquial form of nichts nothing

nix

noun

German myth a male water sprite, usually unfriendly to humans

Word Origin for nix

C19: from German Nixe nymph or water spirit, from Old High German nihhus; related to Old English nicor sea monster

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

Word Origin and History for nix

"nothing, none," 1789, from German nix, dialectal variant of nichts "nothing," from Middle High German nihtes, from genitive of niht, nit "nothing," from Old High German niwiht, from ni, ne "no" (see un-) + wiht "thing, creature" (cf. naught).

"cancel, refuse, forbid," 1903, from nix (n.). Related: Nixed; nixing.