Nightjar Night"jar` noun A goatsucker, esp. the European species. See Illust. of Goatsucker .
Nightless Night"less adjective Having no night.
Nightlong Night"long` adjective Lasting all night.
Nightly Night"ly adjective Of or pertaining to the night, or to every night; happening or done by night, or every night; as, nightly shades; he kept nightly vigils.
Nightly Night"ly adverb At night; every night.
Nightman Night"man noun ;
plural Nightmen One whose business is emptying privies by night.
Nightmare Night"mare` noun [
Night +
mare incubus. See
Mare incubus.]
1. A fiend or incubus formerly supposed to cause trouble in sleep. 2. A condition in sleep usually caused by improper eating or by digestive or nervous troubles, and characterized by a sense of extreme uneasiness or discomfort (as of weight on the chest or stomach, impossibility of motion or speech, etc.), or by frightful or oppressive dreams, from which one wakes after extreme anxiety, in a troubled state of mind; incubus. Dunglison. 3. Hence, any overwhelming, oppressive, or stupefying influence.
Nightshade Night"shade` noun [ Anglo-Saxon
nichtscadu .]
(Botany) A common name of many species of the genus Solanum , given esp. to the Solanum nigrum , or black nightshade, a low, branching weed with small white flowers and black berries reputed to be poisonous. Deadly nightshade .
Same as Belladonna (a) . --
Enchanter's nightshade .
See under Enchanter . --
Stinking nightshade .
See Henbane . - -
Three-leaved nightshade .
See Trillium .
Nightshirt Night"shirt` noun A kind of nightgown for men.
Nighttime Night"time` noun The time from dusk to dawn; -- opposed to daytime .
Nightward Night"ward adjective Approaching toward night.
Nigraniline Ni·gran"i·line noun [ Latin
niger black + English
aniline .]
(Chemistry) The complex, nitrogenous, organic base and dyestuff called also aniline black .
Nigrescent Ni·gres"cent adjective [ Latin
nigrescens , present participle of
nigrescere to grow black, from
niger black. See
Negro .]
Growing black; changing to a black color; approaching to blackness. Johnson.
Nigrification Nig`ri·fi·ca"tion noun [ Latin
nigrificare to blacken;
niger black +
-ficare (in comp.) to make. See
-fy .]
The act or process of making black. [ R.]
Johnson.
Nigrine Ni"grine noun [ Latin
niger black: confer French
nigrine .]
(Min.) A ferruginous variety of rutile.
Nigritic Ni·grit"ic adjective (Ethnol.) Pertaining to, or having the characteristics of, negroes, or of the Negritos, Papuans, and the Melanesian races; negritic.
Nigritude Nig"ri·tude noun [ Latin
nigritudo , from
niger black.]
Blackness; the state of being black. Lamb.
Nigromancie Nig"ro·man`cie noun Necromancy. [ Obsolete]
Nigromancien Nig"ro·man`cien noun A necromancer. [ Obsolete]
These false enchanters or nigromanciens .
Chaucer.
Nigrosine Ni"gro·sine noun [ From Latin
niger black.]
(Chemistry) A dark blue dyestuff, of the induline group; -- called also azodiphenyl blue .
Nigua Ni"gua noun [ Spanish ]
(Zoology) The chigoe.
Nihil Ni"hil noun [ Latin ]
Nothing. Nihilism Ni"hil·ism noun [ Latin
nihil nothing: confer French
nihilisme . See
Annihilate .]
1. Nothingness; nihility. 2. The doctrine that nothing can be known; scepticism as to all knowledge and all reality. 3. (Politics) The theories and practices of the Nihilists.
Nihilist Ni"hil·ist noun [ Confer French
nihiliste . See
Nihilism .]
1. One who advocates the doctrine of nihilism; one who believes or teaches that nothing can be known, or asserted to exist. 2. (Politics) A member of a secret association (esp. in Russia), which is devoted to the destruction of the present political, religious, and social institutions.
Nihilistic Ni`hil·is"tic adjective Of, pertaining to, or characterized by, nihilism.
Nihility Ni·hil"i·ty noun [ Confer French
nihilité . See
Nihilism .]
Nothingness; a state of being nothing.
Nil Nil [ See
Nill ,
transitive verb ]
Will not. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Nil Nil noun & adjective [ Latin , a contr. of
nihil .]
Nothing; of no account; worthless; -- a term often used for canceling, in accounts or bookkeeping. A. J. Ellis.
Nile Nile noun [ Latin
Nilus , Greek ....]
The great river of Egypt. Nile bird .
(Zoology) (a) The wryneck . [ Prov. Eng.]
(b) The crocodile bird. --
Nile goose (Zoology) ,
the Egyptian goose. See Note under Goose , 2.
Nilgau Nil"gau noun (Zoology) see Nylghau .
Nill Nill transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Nilled ;
present participle & verbal noun Nilling .] [ Anglo-Saxon
nilan ,
nyllan ;
ne not +
willan to will. See
No , and
Will .]
Not to will; to refuse; to reject. [ Obsolete]
Certes, said he, I nill thine offered grace.
Spenser.
Nill Nill intransitive verb To be unwilling; to refuse to act. The actions of the will are "velle" and "nolle," to will and nill .
Burton. Will he, nill he ,
whether he wills it or not.
Nill Nill noun [ Confer Ir. & Gael.
neul star, light. Confer
Nebula .]
1. Shining sparks thrown off from melted brass. 2. Scales of hot iron from the forge. Knight.
Nilometer Ni·lom"e·ter noun [ Greek ...; ... the Nile + ... measure: confer French
nilomètre .]
An instrument for measuring the rise of water in the Nile during its periodical flood.
Niloscope Ni"lo·scope noun [ Greek ...; ... the Nile + ... to observe.]
A Nilometer.
Nilotic Ni·lot"ic adjective [ Latin
Niloticus , from
Nilus th Nile, Greek ...: confer French
nilotique .]
Of or pertaining to the river Nile; as, the Nilotic crocodile.
Nilt Nilt [ Contr. from ne wilt .] Wilt not. [ Obsolete]
Nim Nim transitive verb [
imperfect Nam or
Nimmed ;
past participle Nomen or
Nome ] [ Anglo-Saxon
niman . √ 7. Confer
Nimble .]
To take; to steal; to filch. [ Obsolete]
This canon it in his hand nam .
Chaucer.
Nimbiferous Nim·bif"er·ous adjective [ Latin
nimbifer ;
nimbus a cloud +
ferre to bear.]
Serving to bring clouds or stormy weather.
Nimble Nim"ble adjective [
Compar. Nimbler ;
superl. Nimblest .] [ Middle English
nimel , probably orig., quick at seizing, from
nimen to take, Anglo-Saxon
niman ; akin to Dutch
nemen , German
nehmen , Old High German
neman , Icelandic
nema , Goth. nima, and probably to Greek ... to distribute. √ 7. Confer
Nomand ,
Numb .]
Light and quick in motion; moving with ease and celerity; lively; swift. Through the mid seas the nimble pinnace sails.
Pope. »
Nimble is sometimes used in the formation of self- explaining compounds; as,
nimble -footed,
nimble - pinioned,
nimble -winged, etc.
Nimble Will (Botany) ,
a slender, branching, American grass ( Muhlenbergia diffusa ), of some repute for grazing purposes in the Mississippi valley. Syn. -- Agile; quick; active; brisk; lively; prompt.
Nimbleness Nim"ble·ness noun The quality of being nimble; lightness and quickness in motion; agility; swiftness.
Nimbless Nim"bless noun Nimbleness. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Nimbly Nim"bly adverb In a nimble manner; with agility; with light, quick motion.
Nimbose Nim·bose" adjective [ Latin nimbosus, from
nimbus cloud.]
Cloudy; stormy; tempestuous.
Nimbus Nim"bus noun ;
plural Latin
Nimbi , English
Nimbuses . [ Latin , a rain storm, a rain cloud, the cloudshaped which enveloped the gods when they appeared on earth.]
1. (Fine Arts) A circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc.; a halo. See Aureola , and Glory , noun , 5. » "The
nimbus is of pagan origin." "As an atribute of
power , the
nimbus is often seen attached to the heads of evil spirits."
Fairholl. 2. (Meteor.) A rain cloud; one of the four principal varieties of clouds. See Cloud .
Nimiety Ni·mi"e·ty noun [ Latin
nimietas , from
nimius , adjective ,
nimis , adverb , too much.]
State of being in excess. [ R.]
There is a nimiety , a too-muchess, in all Germans.
Coleridge.
Nimious Nim"i·ous adjective [ Latin
nimius .]
Excessive; extravagant; inordinate. [ Obsolete]
Nimmer Nim"mer noun [ From
Nim .]
A thief. [ Obsolete]
Nin Nin [ Fr. ne in .] Not in. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.
Nincompoop Nin"com·poop noun [ A corruption of
non compos .]
A fool; a silly or stupid person. [ Law]
An old ninnyhammer, a dotard, a nincompoop , is the best language she can afford me.
Addison.
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