noun
nit
A foolish person.
I feel like a nit when I forget my own password.
Etymology
Nit is used as a shortened form of nitwit. The insult labels someone foolish; the history of nitwit’s first element is uncertain, so it should not confidently be equated with a louse egg.
More examples
- Don't be a nit—read the instructions first.
- What nit leaves ice cream in the refrigerator?
- We look like nits arguing over such a tiny mistake.
Forms
nit · nits