noun
nit
niht
noun
1
The tiny egg of a louse, or the young louse itself, often found stuck to hair.
"The school nurse checked every child's scalp for nits."
"Nit combs have very fine teeth designed to pull the eggs out of hair."
2
A minor flaw or trivial detail, especially one raised in overly picky criticism.
"He picked a few nits with the report but had no major objections."
"Sorry to nit-pick, but there's a typo on page two."
3
In poker slang, a player with an extremely cautious, low-risk style.
"He folds almost every hand unless it's a lock — a total nit."
How to Use Nit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost often the tiny egg of a louse, but casually it also means a small, nitpicky flaw.
Common mistake
Don't confuse "nit" with "knit" (to weave yarn) — they sound alike but are unrelated.
Common pairings
nits and lice
pick nits
nitpick
Word Forms
nitted past tense, nits plural, nits plural, nits plural, nits plural, nits singular
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The school nurse checked every child's scalp for _____.
Etymology
From Old English hnitu, a very old Germanic word for a louse egg, tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root also seen in Ancient Greek konis.