English Explanatory Dictionary

whit

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The smallest part or particle imaginable; an iota.
prep
  1. Pronunciation spelling of with.
noun
  1. Whitsunday.
  2. The season of Whitsuntide.
name
  1. Newgate Prison in London, England (particularly as it was in the 15- and 1600s).

Pronunciation

wĭt hwĭt /wɪt/ /ʍɪt/

Word forms

whit whits the Whit

Etymology

From Middle English wiȝt, wight, from Old English wiht (“wight, person, creature, being, whit, thing, something, anything”), from Proto-Germanic *wihtą (“thing, creature”) or *wihtiz (“essence, object”), from Proto-Indo-European *wekti- (“cause, sake, thing”), from *wekʷ- (“to say, tell”). Cognate with Old High German wiht (“creature, thing”), Dutch wicht, German Wicht. Doublet of wight.

Synonyms

bit iota jot scrap ace atom atomy aught bissel crumb glimpse dab damn dash diddly glint dot spatter drop dusting fleck glimmer hint flip flyspeck grain halfpennyworth inch lick mite modicum molecule morceau morsel mote ooch ounce particle pennyworth piece pinch relish scantling semblance scent scintilla scooch scruple shred skerrick skoosh skosh sliver smattering smidge smidgen smidget smidgy smitch smithereen

Derived words

care a whit Whit Monday Whit Saturday Whit Sunday Whitsun Whitsunday
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