Where did word nice come from?
Nice comes from the Latin word nescius (“ignorant”), which is also the origin of a lesser-known English word, nescience (“ignorance”). The word took a trip from Latin through Old French and Middle English before ending up in Modern English.
What’s the real meaning of the word nice?
1 : pleasing, pleasant nice weather I had a nice time. 2 : kind, polite, and friendly a nice person. 3 : of good quality It’s a nice place to live. 4 : done very well Nice work! 5 : well behaved nice children.
What did the word nice mean in 1300?
And for almost a century, nice was used to characterize a “stupid, ignorant, or foolish” person. Starting in the late 1300s, nice began to refer to “conduct, a person, or clothing that was considered excessively luxurious or lascivious.” However, by the 1400s a new, more neutral sense of nice was emerging.
What is wrong with the word nice?
The word “nice,” Oxford claims, has pretty negative roots in the Latin “nescius,” meaning “ignorant.” But it really took off in the 14th century as a term for something foolish or silly. The negative connotations ballooned from there. Dive deeper into the Middle Ages, and the meaning deflated.
When was the word nice created?
nice (adj.) late 13c., “foolish, ignorant, frivolous, senseless,” from Old French nice (12c.)
What did nice mean in Old English?
foolish or stupid
Word History Five hundred years ago, when nice was first used in English, it meant “foolish or stupid.” This is not as surprising as it may seem, since it came through early French from the Latin nescius, meaning “ignorant.” By the 16th century, the sense of being “very particular” or “finicky” had developed.
What’s the difference between kindness and just being nice and why does it matter?
Being nice is when you are polite to people and treat people well. Being kind is when you care about people and show you care. Sometimes you can be kind to someone even though you aren’t nice to them and you can certainly be nice to someone but also be unkind.
Is nice derived from Scire?
Nice is a highly polysemous word. A polysemous word has more than one meaning. Origin: Ne- (not) + scire (know, same root as ‘science’) -> nescire (not know) -> nescius (ignorant) -> nice (careless, clumsy, stupid – late 13c).
What are 5 antonyms for nice?
antonyms for nice
- aloof.
- bad.
- cool.
- disagreeable.
- mean.
- ugly.
- unacceptable.
- unfriendly.
Can you be kind without being nice?
What is considered a nice person?
Nice people are honest with themselves and others without lacking kindness. They tell the truth in at all times without hurting other people’s feelings. Telling lies, on the other hand, is not something nice people do because deceit and dishonesty damage relationships.
When did nice become a word?
Nice started life, in the English language, in the 13th century as a term of abuse. It came from the Latin word nescius, meaning ignorant or not knowing. Nescius was ne meaning not and scire meaning to know. My big dictionary says the first use of nice in print was in 1290, but obviously it was in use before then.
What is the real meaning of word ‘nice’?
nice 1. 1 Giving pleasure or satisfaction; pleasant or attractive.
Does the word ‘NICE’ have a meaning?
The word is nice . Though ‘nice’ is used to mean “pleasant ,” it historically meant “wanton or dissolute.” The word’s other meanings include both “appropriate” and “inappropriate”-and in “Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch,” authors Gaiman & Pratchett note that ‘nice’ can also mean “exact.”
What are the origins of the word “nice”?
Nice comes from the Latin word nescius (“ignorant”), which is also the origin of a lesser-known English word, nescience (“ignorance”). The word took a trip from Latin through Old French and Middle English before ending up in Modern English.
What was the original meaning of the word ‘nice?
“Nice” comes from the Latin nescius, which literally means, “not-knowing” (from ne, “not,” and scire, “to know.”) Even centuries later, when the word found its way into Middle English, that meaning more-or-less remained the same: “nice” still connoted ignorance.