Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word nis. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word nis, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say nis in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word nis you have here. The definition of the word nis will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofnis, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
A nix; a hobgoblin, especially one that resides in a farm house.
1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth:
No farm-house goes on well without there is a Nis in it, and well is it for the maids and the men when they are in favour with him.
1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 259:
The people of the Feroes call the Nisses or Brownies Niagruisar, and describe them as little creatures with red caps on their beads, that bring luck to any place where they take up their abode.
Compare a similar contraction in Old English, where it applied to the whole conjugation of wesan and thus created the verb nesan. Such contractions with a verb and the negative part *ne are frequently encountered in ancient Germanic languages, compare Old Saxon nitan, newitan(“to not know”) (from ne + witan), Old English nabban(“to not have”) (from ne + habban), nillan(“to not want”) (from ne + willan) and nesan(“to not be”) (ne + wesan).
Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7), Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
López Antonio, Joaquín, Jones, Ted, Jones, Kris (2012) Vocabulario breve del Zapoteco de San Juan Guelavía (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Tlalpan, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., pages 16, 23
NAOS: notes and materials for the linguistic study of the sacred, volume 1 (4), issue 1 (1984): Yatzachi nEl Bajo Zapotec (I. B.) leˀex̭ (adjective) = holy: nis leˀex̭ = holy water.
Butler H., Inez M. (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de Yatzachi: Yatzachi el Bajo, Yatzachi el Alto, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 37), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., pages 270–271
Long C., Rebecca, Cruz M., Sofronio (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 38) (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 262