nix

Etymology 1

From German nix, colloquial form of nichts (“nothing”). Compare also Dutch niks (“nothing”), informal for niets (“nothing”). More at naught.

noun

1. (colloquial) Nothing.
   "That's a clean lift from Kipling—or is it Conan Doyle? Anyway, I've read something just like it before. Say, kid, guess what these magazine guys get for a full page ad.? Nix. That's just like a woman. Three thousand straight. Fact." 1912, Edna Ferber, “Maymeys from Cuba”, in Buttered Side Down
   "I can take you down, Miss Conover, but I cannot take Mr. Hawksley. When the boss gives me an order I obey it—if I possibly can. On the day the boss tells me you can go strolling, I'll give you the key to the city. Until then, nix! No use arguing, Mr. Hawksley." 1920, Harold MacGrath, chapter //dummy.host/index.php?title=s%3Aen%3AThe+Drums+of+Jeopardy%2FChapter+26 26, in The Drums of Jeopardy

verb

1. To make something become nothing; to reject or cancel.
   Nix the last order – the customer walked out.
   Sticks Nix Hick Pix [headline] July 17, 1935, “Sticks Nix Hick Pix”, in Variety, volume 119, number 5, page 1
   1977-1980, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure He said his roommate had reacted favorably & said he "wanted to share the bed" with him! So I figured that nixed me out of the picture at least for now.
   The move came less than six months after Jobs had nixed the spin-off of Newton Inc. as an independent company and brought it back inside Apple (see “The Fallen Apple,” page 143). 1999, Owen W. Linzmayer, Apple Confidential, San Francisco: No Starch Press, page 242
   At work Mr. Burns spies Homer munching complacently on a donut and hisses that each donut Homer shoves into his fat face brings him one donut closer to the poisoned donut Mr. Burns has ordered thrown into the mix as a form of culinary Russian Roulette, only to learn from Smithers that the plant’s lawyers ultimately nixed the poisoned donut plan because “they consider it murder.” June 17, 2012, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club
2. To destroy or eradicate.

intj

1. No! Not at all!
   "Ugh! An inventor, eh?" "Nix! He's not an inventor himself, but he antes-up for 'em." Jan 1916, The Electrical Experimenter, New York, page 472, column 2
2. (obsolete) A warning cry when a policeman or schoolmaster etc. was seen approaching.

Etymology 2

From German Nix, from Middle High German nickes, niches, from Old High German nichus, nihhus, from Proto-Germanic *nikwus (“water-spirit; nix”), from Proto-Indo-European *neygʷ- (“to wash”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“a water-monster; hippopotamus”).

noun

1. A treacherous water-spirit