Etymology Map
Back to all words

Nice

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means pleasant; kind

Where does the word "nice" come from? It comes from Latin nescius, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
nescius
Latin · ancient
"ignorant"
'ne-', not, plus 'scire', to know
2
Stage 2 of 3
nice
Old French · medieval
"silly, simple"
meant foolish or naive
3
Stage 3 of 3
nice
English · 1300s
"foolish"
shifted through 'fussy' and 'precise' to 'pleasant' by the 1700s
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Nice’s story begins in Latin: nescius meant “ignorant.” 'ne-', not, plus 'scire', to know. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as nice. Meant foolish or naive. It reached English by 1300s as nice. Shifted through 'fussy' and 'precise' to 'pleasant' by the 1700s. Today, nice means pleasant; kind.