Newing New"ing noun [ From New , transitive verb ] Yeast; barm. [ Prov. Eng.]

Newish New"ish adjective Somewhat new; nearly new. Bacon.

Newly New"ly adverb 1. Lately; recently.

He rubbed it o'er with newly gathered mint.

Dryden. 2. Anew; afresh; freshly.

And the refined mind doth newly fashion
Into a fairer form.

Spenser.

Newmarket New"mar`ket noun [ From Newmarket , England.] A long, closely fitting cloak.

Newness New"ness noun The quality or state of being new; as, the newness of a system; the newness of a scene; newness of life.

News News (nuz) n [ From New; confer French nounelles . News is plural in form, but is commonly used with a singular verb.] 1. A report of recent occurrences; information of something that has lately taken place, or of something before unknown; fresh tidings; recent intelligence.

Evil news rides post, while good news baits.

Milton. 2. Something strange or newly happened.

It is no news for the weak and poor to be a prey to the strong and rich.

L'Estrange. 3. A bearer of news; a courier; a newspaper. [ Obsolete]

There cometh a news thither with his horse.

Pepys.

News-book News"-book` noun A newspaper. [ Obsolete]

News-letter News"-let`ter noun A circular letter, written or printed for the purpose of disseminating news. This was the name given to the earliest English newspapers.

News-vnder News"-vnd`er noun A seller of newspapers.

News-writer News"-writ`er noun One who gathered news for, and wrote, news-letters. Macaulay.

Newsboy News"boy` noun A boy who distributes or sells newspapers.

Newsman News"man noun ; plural Newsmen 1. One who brings news. [ Obsolete] Spenser. 2. A man who distributes or sells newspapers.

Newsmonger News"mon`ger noun One who deals in news; one who is active in hearing and telling news.

Newspaper News"pa`per noun A sheet of paper printed and distributed, at stated intervals, for conveying intelligence of passing events, advocating opinions, etc.; a public print that circulates news, advertisements, proceedings of legislative bodies, public announcements, etc.

Newsroom News"room` noun A room where news is collected and disseminated, or periodicals sold; a reading room supplied with newspapers, magazines, etc.

Newsy News"y adjective Full of news; abounding in information as to current events. [ Colloq.]

Newt Newt noun [ Middle English ewt , evete , Anglo-Saxon efete , with n prefixed, an ewt being understood as a newt . Confer Eft .] (Zoology) Any one of several species of small aquatic salamanders. The common British species are the crested newt ( Triton cristatus ) and the smooth newt ( Lophinus punctatus ). In America, Diemictylus viridescens is one of the most abundant species.

Newtonian New·to"ni·an adjective Of or pertaining to Sir Isaac Newton, or his discoveries. Newtonian philosophy , the philosophy of Sir Isaac Newton; -- applied to the doctrine of the universe as expounded in Newton's "Principia," to the modern or experimental philosophy (as opposed to the theories of Descartes and others), and, most frequently, to the mathematical theory of universal gravitation. -- Newtonian telescope (Astron.) , a reflecting telescope, in which rays from the large speculum are received by a plane mirror placed diagonally in the axis, and near the open end of the tube, and thrown at right angles toward one side of the tube, where the image is formed and viewed through the eyeplace. -- Newtonian theory of light . See Note under Light .

Newtonian New·to"ni·an noun A follower of Newton.

Nexible Nex"i·ble adjective [ Latin nexibilis , from nectere , nexum , to bind.] That may be knit together. [ R.]

Next Next (nĕkst) adjective , superl. of Nigh . [ Anglo-Saxon nēhst , niéhst , nȳhst , superl. of neáh nigh. See Nigh .] 1. Nearest in place; having no similar object intervening. Chaucer.

Her princely guest
Was next her side; in order sat the rest.

Dryden.

Fear followed me so hard, that I fled the next way.

Bunyan. 2. Nearest in time; as, the next day or hour. 3. Adjoining in a series; immediately preceding or following in order.

None could tell whose turn should be the next .

Gay. 4. Nearest in degree, quality, rank, right, or relation; as, the next heir was an infant.

The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

Ruth ii. 20. » Next is usually followed by to before an object, but to is sometimes omitted. In such cases next in considered by many grammarians as a preposition. Next friend (Law) , one who represents an infant, a married woman, or any person who can not appear sui juris , in a suit at law.

Next Next adverb In the time, place, or order nearest or immediately succeeding; as, this man follows next .

Nexus Nex"us noun [ Latin ] Connection; tie.

Man is doubtless one by some subtile nexus . . . extending from the new-born infant to the superannuated dotard.

De Quincey.

Nez Percés Nez" Per`cés" plural ; sing. Nez PercÉ [ French, pierced noses.] (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians, mostly inhabiting Idaho.

Ngina Ngi"na noun [ Native name.] The gorilla.

Niagara period Ni·ag"a·ra pe"ri·od (Geol.) A subdivision or the American Upper Silurian system, embracing the Medina, Clinton, and Niagara epoch. The rocks of the Niagara epoch, mostly limestones, are extensively distributed, and at Niagara Falls consist of about eighty feet of shale supporting a greater thickness of limestone, which is gradually undermined by the removal of the shale. See Chart of Geology .

Nias Ni"as noun [ French niais . See Eyas .] A young hawk; an eyas; hence, an unsophisticated person. [ Obsolete]

Nib Nib (nĭb) noun [ A variabt of neb .] 1. A small and pointed thing or part; a point; a prong. "The little nib or fructifying principle." Sir T. Browne. 2. (Zoology) The bill or beak of a bird; the neb. 3. The points of a pen; also, the pointed part of a pen; a short pen adapted for insertion in a holder. 4. One of the handles which project from a scythe snath; also, [ Prov. Eng.], the shaft of a wagon.

Nib Nib transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Nebbed ; present participle & verbal noun Nibbing .] To furnish with a nib; to point; to mend the point of; as, to nib a pen.

Nibbed Nibbed adjective Having a nib or point.

Nibble Nib"ble transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Nibbled ; present participle & verbal noun Nibbling .] [ Confer Nip .] To bite by little at a time; to seize gently with the mouth; to eat slowly or in small bits.

Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep.

Shak.

Nibble Nib"ble transitive verb To bite upon something gently or cautiously; to eat a little of a thing, as by taking small bits cautiously; as, fishes nibble at the bait.

Instead of returning a full answer to my book, he manifestly falls a- nibbling at one single passage.

Tillotson.

Nibble Nib"ble noun A small or cautious bite.

Nibbler Nib"bler noun One who, or that which, nibbles.

Nibblingly Nib"bling·ly adverb In a nibbling manner; cautiously.

Nibelungenlied Ni"be·lung`en·lied` noun [ G. See Nibelungs ; Lied .] A great medieval German epic of unknown authorship containing traditions which refer to the Burgundians at the time of Attila (called Etzel in the poem) and mythological elements pointing to heathen times.

Nibelungs Ni"be·lungs noun plural ; sing. Nibelung . In German mythology, the children of the mist, a race of dwarfs or demonic beings, the original possessors of the famous hoard and ring won by Siegfrid; also, the Burgundian kings in the Nibelungenlied.

Niblick Nib"lick noun A kind of golf stick used to lift the ball out of holes, ruts, etc.

Nicagua Ni·ca"gua noun (Zoology) The laughing falcon. See under laughing .

Nicaragua wood Nic`a·ra"gua wood` Brazil wood.

Niccolite Nic"co·lite noun [ from New Latin niccolum nickel.] (Min.) A mineral of a copper-red color and metallic luster; an arsenide of nickel; -- called also coppernickel , kupfernickel .

Nice Nice adjective [ Compar. Nicer ; superl. Nicest .] [ Middle English , foolish, from Old French nice ignorant, fool, from Latin nescius ignorant; ne not + scius knowing, scire to know. perhaps influenced by English nesh delicate, soft. See No , and Science .] 1. Foolish; silly; simple; ignorant; also, weak; effeminate. [ Obsolete] Gower.

But say that we ben wise and nothing nice .

Chaucer. 2. Of trifling moment; unimportant; trivial. [ Obsolete]

The letter was not nice , but full of charge
Of dear import.

Shak. 3. Overscrupulous or exacting; hard to please or satisfy; fastidious in small matters.

Curious not knowing, not exact but nice .

Pope.

And to taste
Think not I shall be nice .

Milton. 4. Delicate; refined; dainty; pure.

Dear love, continue nice and chaste.

Donne.

A nice and subtile happiness.

Milton. 5. Apprehending slight differences or delicate distinctions; distinguishing accurately or minutely; carefully discriminating; as, a nice taste or judgment. "Our author happy in a judge so nice ." Pope. " Nice verbal criticism." Coleridge. 6. Done or made with careful labor; suited to excite admiration on account of exactness; evidencing great skill; exact; fine; finished; as, nice proportions, nice workmanship, a nice application; exactly or fastidiously discriminated; requiring close discrimination; as, a nice point of law, a nice distinction in philosophy.

The difference is too nice
Where ends the virtue, or begins the vice.

Pope. 7. Pleasing; agreeable; gratifying; delightful; good; as, a nice party; a nice excursion; a nice person; a nice day; a nice sauce, etc. [ Loosely & Colloquially] To make nice of , to be scrupulous about. [ Obsolete] Shak. Syn. -- Dainty; delicate; exquisite; fine; accurate; exact; correct; precise; particular; scrupulous; punctilious; fastidious; squeamish; finical; effeminate; silly.

Nicely Nice"ly adverb In a nice manner.

Nicene Ni"cene adjective [ Latin Nicaenus , from Nicaea Nice, Greek ....] Of or pertaining to Nice, a town of Asia Minor, or to the ecumenical council held there a.d. 325. Nicene Creed a summary of Christian faith, composed and adopted by the Council of Nice, against Arianism, a.d. 325, altered and confirmed by the Council of Constantinople, a.d. 381, and by subsequent councils.

Niceness Nice"ness noun Quality or state of being nice.

Nicery Ni"cer·y noun Nicety. [ Colloq.] Chapman.

Nicety Ni"ce·ty noun ; plural Niceties . [ Middle English niceté foolishness.] 1. The quality or state of being nice (in any of the senses of that word.).

The miller smiled of her nicety .

Chaucer. 2. Delicacy or exactness of perception; minuteness of observation or of discrimination; precision. 3. A delicate expression, act, mode of treatment, distinction, or the like; a minute distinction.

The fineness and niceties of words.

Locke. To a nicety , with great exactness or accuracy.

Niche Niche noun [ French, from Italian nicchia , prop., a shell-like recess in a wall, from nicchio a shellfish, mussel, from Latin mytilus .] A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. hence, any similar position, literal or figurative.

Images defended from the injuries of the weather by niches of stone wherein they are placed.

Evelun.

Niched Niched adjective Placed in a niche. "Those niched shapes of noble mold." Tennyson.

Nick Nick noun [ Anglo-Saxon nicor a marine monster; akin to Dutch nikker a water spite, Icelandic nykr , ONG. nihhus a crocodile, German nix a water sprite; confer Greek ... to wash, Sanskrit nij . Confer Nix .] (Northern Myth.) An evil spirit of the waters. Old Nick , the evil one; the devil. [ Colloq.]