English
nuisance
Nuisance comes from Anglo-Norman nusaunce, from Latin noceō ‘to injure, do harm to, hurt, damage’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- ‘perish, disappear’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*neḱ-‘perish, disappear’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*noḱ-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nokeō‘to harm, hurt, injure’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnoceōas nocēre‘to injure, do harm to, hurt, damage’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400nusaunce
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500noysaunce‘Injury, harm, damage’
- Englishearliest quotation 2010nuisance
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*neḱ-‘perish, disappear’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*noḱ-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nokeō‘to harm, hurt, injure’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnoceōas nocēre‘to injure, do harm to, hurt, damage’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400nusaunce
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500noysaunce‘Injury, harm, damage’
- Englishearliest quotation 2010nuisance
Earliest quotation: 2010, Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data: “By itself, nondifferentiability at zero is a minor nuisance.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- ‘perish, disappear’
obnoxious, nectar, necropolis, internecine, 18 more
through Latin noceō ‘to injure, do harm to, hurt, damage’
Today it means
noun A minor annoyance or inconvenience.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- / nuisance