noun
whit
WIT/wɪt/
The smallest amount or degree.
Only a whit of flour rests between the baker's fingertips.
Etymology
Old English wiht meant “amount” or “something.” Through the phrase meaning “no amount,” it developed the sense “smallest particle,” connecting an unspecified amount with the least imaginable amount or degree.
In context
as though it didn't matter a whit.
The atmosphere doesn't care one whit what people think.
More examples
- It made not a whit of difference.
- She lacked even a whit of patience.
- The result changed not one whit.
Forms
whit
Similar words
- bit
- The ordinary term for a small amount.
- iota
- Another emphatic word for a tiny amount.