Whit

How to spell whit

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce whit

What does whit mean?

1. nounThe smallest possible amount or particle of something, used especially in negative statements.

Whit in a sentence

• The harsh review did not bother her one whit.

• He showed not a whit of remorse after losing the money.

Where does whit come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word comes from Old English 'wiht', which meant a creature, a thing, or an amount, the same root that gives us the archaic 'wight' for a living being. Over time 'wiht' narrowed in one branch of usage to mean the very smallest portion of something, the least imaginable bit. The form 'whit' settled into Middle English with this sense of 'a tiny amount', usually appearing in negative phrases such as 'not a whit'. The leading silent 'wh-' spelling reflects the older pronunciation in which the 'h' was actually sounded, and it is exactly that 'wh-' that traps modern writers, since the word now sounds identical to 'wit'. Curiously, the surname element in 'Whitsun' is unrelated; that comes instead from 'white', the colour of baptismal robes, so 'whit' the tiny amount stands quite alone.

How the word is built

• whit (a single thing or smallest part, variant of Old English 'wiht' = creature, thing, amount)

Words that sound like whit

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• wit: The ability to express clever, amusing ideas or perceptions in a quick, original way.