nicht German · revision 34788

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=765, Old High German glosses|origins=gmw-pro *naiwwiht}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /nɪçt/, [nɪxt], [nɪçt]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''nicht'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|niht]], [[inh|goh|niowiht]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*naiwwiht]].^(Kluge 2011|654)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) It was fused from a phrase that Kluge reconstructs as [[gem-pro|*ne aiwin wihtes|t=not of a being]], made of the negative particle [[goh|ni]], [[m|goh|io|t=ever]] (modern [[je]]) and [[m|goh|wiht|t=being, thing]] (modern [[Wicht]]), so that it first meant “not anything”.^(Kluge 2011|654)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) A shorter form without “ever”, [[m|goh|niwiht]], existed beside it.^(DWB|13, 690)^(EWA|6, 1009)

+

+ The same formation is found in [[osx|neowiht]], [[ofs|nāwet]] and [[ang|nōwiht]], from which come [[en|nought]] and [[m|en|not]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(Kluge 2011|654) [[got|𐌽𐌹 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃|tr=ni waihts|t=nothing]] is a simpler phrase without “ever”.^(Kluge 2011|654)^(Pfeifer 1993) The particle was added to strengthen the plain negation [[m|goh|ni]] and in the end replaced it.^(Kluge 2011|654)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''niowiht'' and ''niwiht'' are recorded from the 8th century, first in glosses of about 765 and in the ''Abrogans'', and then in Isidor, Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(EWA|6, 1009) They meant “nothing” and, as adverbs, “not at all, in no way, never”, and could be used as a noun, “a nothing, vanity”.^(EWA|6, 1009)^(Schützeichel 2012|238)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old and Middle High German ''niht'' was a pronoun and noun meaning “nothing”, and could be added to the real negation, the particle ''ne'' or ''en'' before the verb, as in Middle High German ''ich enweiʒ (es) niht'' “I do not know (it)”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) From the 12th century the particle before the verb disappeared, and ''niht'' alone carried the negation; the particle was gone for good in the 15th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

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+ As a pronoun “nothing”, ''niht'' competed from the 14th century with its genitive ''nihtes'', the modern [[nichts]], which drove it out of this use in the 16th century.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020) Luther could still write ''Da aber die Taube nicht fand'' “but the dove found nothing” (Genesis 8:9).^(Paul 2002) The old noun survives in [[mitnichten]] “by no means” and [[zunichte]] “ruined”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) In the dialects and colloquial speech the word is weakened to southern ''nit'' and northern ''nich''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''niowiht'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 12th century – The negative particle before the verb begins to disappear, leaving ''niht'' as the negation.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 14th century – ''Nihtes'', the later ''nichts'', begins to compete with ''niht'' meaning “nothing”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 15th century – The old preverbal particle ''en'' has disappeared.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 15th century – The derivative [[nichtig]] “void, worthless” is first recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''Nicht'' gives up the sense “nothing” to ''nichts''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Not: [[m|en|negating]] a verb, adjective, adverb or other part of a sentence: ''er raucht nicht'' “he does not smoke”;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''nicht nur …, sondern auch'' “not only … but also”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Before an adjective of negative meaning, expressing a guarded approval ([[m|en|litotes]]): ''sie ist nicht unfreundlich'' “she is quite friendly”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

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+ ===Particle===

+ # In questions expecting the answer “yes”, and as a [[m|en|tag question]]: ''ist es nicht herrlich hier?'' “isn't it lovely here?”;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''das ist doch dein Bruder, nicht?'' “that's your brother, isn't it?”^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[nichts]]

+ * [[nichtig]]

+ * [[vernichten]]

+ * [[mitnichten]]

+ * [[zunichte]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[nein]]

+ * [[nie]]

+ * [[niemand]]

+ * [[je]]

+ * [[Wicht]]

+ * [[un-]]

+ * [[en|not]]

+ * [[en|nought]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A mining word ''Nicht'' (masculine or neuter) “zinc oxide, zinc white”, first recorded in 1578, was probably borrowed from Greek and Latin ''onychitis'', but was early identified with ''nicht''; hence also the Latin name ''nihil'' for the substance.^(DWB|13, 712)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}