Dictionary

nitid en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin niteō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin nitidus English nitid From Latin nitidus.

Meanings

1. Bright; lustrous; shining.
   • mandibles black ; palpi testaceous ; elytra reddish-brown, slightly nitid, the central portion with a few barely preceptible ashy spots ... 1864, Francis P. Pascoe, “Longicornia Malayana”, in Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, Third Series, Vol. III:
   • Thus we restore Old pieces of Dirty Gold to a clean and nitid Yellow, by putting them into the Fire, and into Aqua-fortis, which take off the adventitious Filth that made that pure Metall look of a Dirty Colour. 1664, Robert Boyle, Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours:
2. (obsolete, of a person) Festively or smartly dressed; spruce; fine.
   • My sable friend, for he was an eccclesiastic, was, however, not nitid as usual. There was a looseness of trousers, and a sloppiness of shoe, that savoured no longer of St. James's-street. 1852, anonymous author, “Memoirs of a Man of the World”, in Bentley's Miscellany, volume XXXI:
   • yet amongst these doth the nitid spark spend out his time: this is the Gallant's day! 1657, Thomas Reeve, God's Plea for Nineveh:

Forms

Deriveds

nitidity

Synonyms

nitty