Etymology

Almost always derived from ON, cp. OIcel níta 'deny, refuse'. The ON v. was formed on the PGmc base *nī- (cp. Go nei 'not', OIcel ní 'no', continuing an earlier *ne it, cp. Go ni 'not', OIcel né, OE ne, OFris ni, ne, OS ni, ne, OHG ni, ne), and no similar derivational forms are found elsewhere. Skeat WA is alone in suggesting an alternative connection with Fr nier 'deny'.

PGmc Ancestor

*nī-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

níta 'deny, refuse'
(ONP níta, nítta (1) (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

C1c

Attestation

All citations from MED and OED3, beginning with a1400(c1300) NHom.(1) Gosp. (Phys-E), come from N texts.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 1460

Bibliography

MED nīten (v.) , OED3 nite (v.) , HTOED ,  Bj. 217, de Vries nita (1), Mag. níta (1), Orel *nī(t)