Dictionary.com
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of nix

1
First recorded in 1780–90; from German, variant of nichts “nothing”

Other definitions for nix (2 of 2)

nix2
[ niks ]
/ nɪks /

noun, plural nix·es.
(in Germanic folklore) a water spirit that draws its victims into its underwater home.

Origin of nix

2
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. 2023

How to use nix in a sentence

  • When any person is shortly to be drowned, the Nixes may be previously seen dancing on the surface of the water.

    The Fairy Mythology|Thomas Keightley
  • Lost in dreams, the child gazed into the lake whence blew cool airs, while the nixes floated in mist across it.

    Pilgrim Sorrow|Carmen Sylva
  • The nixes lay around it upon couches, and waited for the beauty whom as yet they had not seen that day.

    Pilgrim Sorrow|Carmen Sylva

British Dictionary definitions for nix (1 of 2)

nix1
/ (nɪks) US and Canadian informal /

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

British Dictionary definitions for nix (2 of 2)

nix2
/ (nɪks) /

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
FEEDBACK