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nill

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nill¹

  • /nɪl/

Sounds like nil, Nill · Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English nillen, from Old English nyllan (“to not want”), corresponding to ne + will. Cognate with Old Frisian nelle. Not directly related to Latin nolo, which is an independent construction of the same manner, but the morphemes that compound both verbs are cognates.

verb nills · nilling · nilled · nould

  1. auxiliary, modal, obsolete To be unwilling; will not (+ infinitive). I here auow thee neuer to forſake. Ill weares he armes, that nill them vſe for Ladies ſake.
  2. archaic, intransitive To be unwilling. I must indeed abide the Doom of Men, whether I will or I nill:[…]
  3. archaic, transitive To reject, refuse, negate. Certes (ſayd he) I n’ill thine offred grace, Ne to be made ſo happy doe intend[…].

nill²

  • /nɪl/

Sounds like nil, Nill · Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

Compare Irish néal and Scottish Gaelic neul (“star, light”). Compare nebula.

noun

  1. Shining sparks thrown off from melted brass.
  2. Scales of hot iron from the forge.

nill³

  • /nɪl/

Sounds like nil, Nill · Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

From Medieval Latin nil and nihil (“nothing”) to represent German nichts and nix (“nothing”), confused with Latin nix (“snow, snow-white thing”), used for white forms of zinc oxide. Doublet of nihil album.

noun

  1. obsolete, uncountable Synonym of zinc oxide, particularly white forms used in medicine and cosmetics.

    Similar: zinc oxide, particularly white forms used in medicine and cosmetics

Nill⁴

proper noun Nills

  1. A surname.

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MLA

"nill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nill. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

nill. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nill

Chicago

"nill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nill.

BibTeX
@misc{nill_2026,
  title = {nill},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nill},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}