Etymology

nixie

N1I1X8I1E1

Today it means: A female nix, a water-spirit. Full definition →

German Nixe ← Middle High German nickes ← Old High German nihhus
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nixie · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*neygʷ-“to wash”
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*nikwus
  3. Old High German · derived fromnihhus“water-elf, crocodile”
  4. Middle High German · derived fromnickes
  5. German · derived fromNixe
  6. English todaynixie

From German Nixe, feminine of Nix, from Middle High German nickes, from Old High German nihhus (“water-elf, crocodile”), from Proto-Germanic *nikwus, *nikwis, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *neygʷ- (“to wash”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“water-elf, hippopotamus, walrus”), English nicker.

nixie · noun2

From nix + -ie.

Words from the same roots

Middle High Germannickes all →

nix

Proto-Germanic*nikwus all →

nix

Proto-Indo-European*neygʷ- all →

nix

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.