nilgau 
short little-curved horns, a blackish mane, and 
a buneli of hair on the throat. 
Nilio(iiil'i-o), . [NL.] The typical genus of 
\ilinniilii', founded by Latreille in 1H01>. These 
insects resemble Coccinelld; they are of mediocre slie and 
r<-dilih -yellow color, sometimes blackish. About 20 spe- 
ri.'s are Known, all of which arc from Mexico and South 
\iin-rica. Also .iVSt'on. 
Nilionidae (nil-i-on'i-de), . pi. K Nilio(n-) + 
-iiln:] A family of trachehato heteromerous 
t'nlni/iin;i, typified by the genus ffilio, erected 
by Laoordaire in 1859. It Is a family of rather un- 
certain relationships, but Is customarily placed after the 
TrnebrlonUa. It consists of three genera, two of which 
are confined to Mexico and South America, and tho third 
to Java. The beetles are of medium or small size, and are 
found motionless or slowly walking on the trunks of trees, 
simulating death when touched, but not falling. 
nill 1 (nil), v. [Also nil; < ME. nillrn, nellen, < 
AS. nillan, nellan, contr. of ne willan, will not: 
see ne and will; cf. willy-nilly.'] I.t trans. Will 
not; wish not; refuse; reject. 
Certes, said he, I nill thine offer'd grace. Spenter. 
An. I'nite our appetites, and make them calm. 
Er. To will and nill one thing. 
An. And so to move 
Affection of our wills as in our love. 
D. Jonton, Love's Welcome at Bolsover. 
H. intranx. Will not; be unwilling. [Obso- 
lete except in the phrase will you (he, etc.), nill 
you (he, etc.).] 
Neih wommon ichaue to muche i-beo, I nule come neih 
hire no more! Holy Rood (E. E. T. 8.\ p. 21. 
And yf thaire hnske of easily nyl goone, 
Ley hem in chaf, and it wol of anoone. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.\ p. 55. 
For who nill bide the burden of dlstresse 
Must not here thinke to live. 
Spenter, F. (>., III. xl. 14. 
And will you, nill you, I will marry you. 
Shak., T. of the S., U. 1. 273. 
Will we, nill we, we must drink God's cup if he have 
appointed it for us. 
J. Bradford, Letters (Parker Soc., 1853\ II. 60. 
nill't (nil), n. [< Jii'H 1 , .] Negative volition ; 
a "will not." [Rare.] 
It shall be their misery semper velle quod nunquam 
erit, semper nolle quod nunquam non erit to have a will 
never satisfied, a aill never gratified. 
Ree. T. Adamt, Works, I. 239. 
nill 2 (nil), n. A dialectal form of needle. Hal- 
liwett. 
nill 3 (nil), n. A dialectal form of nail. Halli- 
irctt. 
nill 4 (nil). . [Perhaps a use of nil& (f).] It. 
The shining sparks of brass given off in trying 
and melting the ore. Bailey. 2. Scales of hot 
iron from the forge. E. H. Knight. 
nilly-willy (nil'i-wil'i), adv. See willy-nilly. 
Nilometer (m-lom'e-ter), n. [= F. nilometre = 
Sp. Pg. It. HitometrOj < Gr. yFilo/tlrpiav, a nilome- 
ter, < NeWor (L. Nilus), the river Nile, + fitrpov, 
measure: see meterl.] 1. A gage or measure 
of depth or height of the flow of the river Nile. 
A flood-gage of this nature Is mentioned by Herodotus ; 
and ancient records of inundations have reference to the 
old Nilometer on the western bank at Memphis. Modern 
records are officially tabulated from the Nilometer on the 
Island of Er-Rodah, near Cairo, which consists of a pit or 
well in communication with the Nile, in the middle of 
which stands a marble column inscribed with height-in- 
dications in cubits. The rise of the water at Cairo during 
a favorable inundation is about 2f> feet. 
2. [1. c.] Hence, any instrument for making 
a continuous and automatic register of river- 
heights. 
Niloscope (ni'lo-skop), n. [< Gr. ftei^-oanoirttov, 
a Niloscope, < NtiXoc, the river Nile, + amirc'tv, 
view.] Same as Nilometer. 
Nilotic (ni-lot'ik), a. [< L. Xitoticus, < Gi . NEI?A>- 
m-of , of the Nile, < Nf(X<irw, of the Nile, < Nfi?.oc, 
the river Nile.] Of or pertaining to the river 
Nile in Africa : as, Nilotic sediment: the Nilotic 
delta. 
Some from farthest south, 
Syene, and where the shadow both way falls, 
Sleroe, Nilotick isle, Milton, V. R., IT. 71. 
nilpotent (nil'po-tent), a. [< L. nil, nothing, 
+ poten(t-)s, powerful: see potent.] In matti., 
vanishing on being raised to a certain power. 
Thus, if i bo such an expression in multiple 
algebra that i X i X i = 0, i is nilpotent Nll- 
DOteut algebra. See alyebra. 
mitt. A contracted form of HP wilt, wilt not. 
nim 1 (nim), F. [< ME. iiimcii. iirinen (pret. nam, 
nom, pi. name, pp. HKUICM, nomi-n. iiome), < AS. 
nimiin (pret. mini, nom, pi. namon, pp. ntimen) 
= OS. niman, in-mint OFrii's. nimii. nrma = 
D. niinin = MUi. L(i. in nun = OHG. nninni, 
MHG. nrmt-ii, (5. inlinirn = leel. nrni/i, take, = 
Dan. HPIIIIIIC, apprehend, learn, = Goth, iihi/mi, 
take ; perhaps = Gr. ve/iew, deal out, distribute. 
3996 
, assign, also, as in mid. riiimiim. take 
as one's own, have, hold, possess, manage. 
sway, rule, etc., also pasture, gni/.e. feeil. .1.-. 
pvfyof, a wooded pasture, = I.. IH-IHUH, a grove, 
wood, etc. ; vo/t6f, a pasture, vo/jof, law, etc. : see 
iitnne*. nome&.etc.). Connection with L. cnnn. 
lake, buy (> E. <w/*/i", i-srmi>t, redeem, redemp- 
tion, etc.), and Ir. em, take, is improbable. The 
verb nim, formerly the usual word for 'take,' 
has in most senses become obsolete (being dis- 
Iilneed l>y >"/<), but its derivatives, numb (orig. 
pp.) and nimble, are in common use.] I. trans. 
It. To take; take in the hands; lay hold of, in 
order to move, carry, or use. in the general sense 
'take,' and In the various particular senses exhibited be- 
low and In the principal uses of take, nim was formci !y in 
very common use, being the general Teutonic term for 
'take.' In Middle English nim was gradually superseded 
by take, which Is properly Scandinavian. 
Tho Clarice to the piler com, 
And the bacin of golde nom. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.X p. 68. 
This chanoun It in his hondes nam. 
Chaucer, Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 288. 
2. To seize; seize upon; takeaway; remove; 
take unlawfully; filch; steal. 
Goddes aungeles the sonle nam, 
And bare hyt ynto the bosum of Abraham. 
MS. Harl. 1701, 1. . (HaUiireU.) 
Men reden not that folk nan gretter wltte 
Than they that ban ben most with love ynatne. 
Chaucer, Trollus, I. 242. 
Xiiniiiiii'i away jewels and favours from gentlemen. 
Middletm, Your Five Gallants, L 1. 
They'll question Man, and, by his look, 
Detect who 'twas that nimm'a a cloak. 
3t. To conduct; lead. 
S. Butler, Hudibras, I. i. 598. 
To the temple he hure nam. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 76. 
4t. To take to one's self; receive; accept; have. 
The Admiral hire nam to quene. 
King Barn (E. E. T. S.), p. 73. 
ludas nom crlstendom, and tho he i-cristened was, 
He let him nempne Quiriac that er heihte ludas. 
//..'/, ood(E. E. T. S.), p. 47. 
6t. To take : used in phrases corresponding in 
sense and nearly in form to 'take the road,' 
'take leave,' 'take advice,' 'take care,' etc. 
To Londone-brugge hee name the way. 
Execution of Sir Simon Fraier (Child's Ballads, VI. 282). 
Syr Gawen his leue con nyme, 
& to his bed hym dijt. 
Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight (E. E. T. S.\ I 993. 
Anon tho that folk by speek his deth and heore red [coun- 
sel] therof nom. Holy Rood (E. E. T. 8.), p. 33. 
The most needy aren cure neighebores, and (if| we nyme 
good hede. Fieri Plowman (CX X. 71. 
6t. To begin. 
Then boldly blow the prize thereat, 
Your play for to nime or ye come In. 
The Booke of Bunting (1586). (Halliu-ell.) 
IL intrans. It. To take; betake one's self; go. 
The s<-hip nam to the node 
With me and Horn the gode. 
King Horn(E. E. T. S.\ L 1183. 
2. To walk with short quick steps. Halliicell. 
[Prov. Eng.] 3t. To steal. 
nim 2 (nem), n. [Hind, nim.'] The margosa. 
See Melia. Also spelled ntem Hlm-bark. See 
margota bark, under 601*2. Nim-tree. Same as margosa. 
nimb (nimb),n. [=F. nimbe =Sp. Pg. It. nimbo, 
< L. nimbus, a nimbus: see nimbus.] A nim- 
bus or halo. 
The nimb or circle, betokening endless heavenly hap- 
plness, about the head of St. Dunstan. 
Rode, Church of our Fathers, H. 98, note. 
nimbed (nimbd), a. [< nimb + -erf 2 .] Having 
a nimbus ; surrounded (especially, having the 
head surrounded) by a nimbus. 
In the middle of the furthermost border stands a nimbed 
lamb, upholding with its right leg a flag. 
Kodc, Church of our Fathers, L 258. 
nimbert(iiini'ber),a. [Avar, of nimble.] Active. 
The boy belnge but a xj. yers old Juste at the death of 
his father, yet having reasonable wit and discretion, and 
being nifmber spirited and ante to anythinge. 
MS. Ashmole 208. (Hattiwett.) 
nimbiferous (nim-bif'e-rus), a. [= It. nimbi- 
fero, < L. nimbifer, storm-bringing, stormy, < 
tiimbus, a rain-storm, a black rain-cloud, + ferre, 
bring, = E. bear 1 .] Bringing black clouds, 
rain, or storms. 
nimble (nim'bl), a. [With unorig. 6 as in hum- 
ble, number, etc.; < ME. nimmcl, nimel, minnt. 
tn tin I. iifit.il. 111 will. <AS. nttmol, numiil, taking, 
quick at taking, < nimini, pp. numrn, take: see 
Him'.] 1. Lifiht andquu-k in motion: active; 
moving with ease and celerity : marked by ease 
and rapidity of motion ; lively: swift. 
nimbus 
His clathls he kest, al but hU serke, 
I .. make him iinnil vn-to his werke. 
IliJit Jtind (K. F.. T. S. ), p. US. 
A hungrey hunter that holdythe hym a blche 
Xemyl of mnuthe for to mordyr a hare. 
Boolt of Precedence (K. K. I . S., extra Kr.\ I 88. 
Yon nimble lightnings, dart your blinding flame* 
Into her scornful eyes! Shalt., Leu, U. 4. 167. 
Most trusted Frappatore. Is my hand the weaker because 
it is divided Into many lingers? No, 'tis the more strongly 
ni,nUe. Mantun, The Ftwn, L 2. 
AiMlmmMe Wit beside 
Upon the backs of thousand shapes did ride. 
./. Beaumont, Psyche, I. 102. 
Nimble In vengeance, I forgive thee. 
Ford, Broken Heart, Iv. 4. 
He waa tall of Stature, and well proportioned : fair, and 
cinin-ly of Face; of Hair bright alxnirn, of long Arms, and 
nimble In all his Joints. liattr, Chronicles, p. 67. 
He bid the nimble Hours without delay 
Bring forth the steeds. 
Additun, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., IL 
The nimble air, so soft, so clear, 
Hardly can stir a ringlet here. 
F. Locker, Rotten Bow. 
2t. Keen; sharp. 
A nre so great 
Could not line flame-less long : nor would Ood let 
So noble a spirits nimble edge to rust 
In Sheapheards Idle and Ignoble dust. 
Sylmter, tr. of Uu Bartas s Weeks, II., The Trophies. 
3. Quick to apprehend ; apprehensive ; acute ; 
penetrating. 
His ear most nimble where deaf It should be, 
His eye most blind where most It ought to see. 
Quartet, Emblems, IL 3. 
There was there for the Queen GUpin, as nimble a Man 
as Snderman, and he had the Chancellor of Embden to 
second and countenance him. UovfU, Letters, I. vi. 3. 
= 8vn. 1. Light, brisk, expeditious, speedy, spry; Simtle, 
Ague. Itie last two words express lightness and quick- 
ness In motion, the former being more suggestive of the 
use of the feet, the latter of that of the whole lower limbs. 
nimble-fingered (nim'bl-fing'gerd), a. Quick 
or skilful in the use of the fingers ; hence, pil- 
fering : as, the nimble-fingered gentry (that is, 
pickpockets). 
nimble-footed (nim'bl-fut'ed), a. Running 
with speed ; light of foot. 
Being nimble- foottil, he hath outrun us. 
Shak., T. O. of V.,v. 8.7. 
nimbleness (nim'bl-nes), n. The quality of 
being nimble ; lightness and agility in motion ; 
quickness; celerity; speed; swiftness. 
Tis better that the enemy seek us : 
. . . whilst we, lying still, 
Are full of rest, defence, and nimblenett. 
Shak.,3. C., Iv. 3. 202. 
nimble-pinioned (nim'bl-pin'yond), a. Of swift 
flight. 
Nimble pinioned doves. Shot., R. and J., ii. :>. 7. 
nimblesset (nim'bles), n. [Irreg. < nimble + 
-esse, as in noblesse, etc.] Nimbleness. [Bare. ] 
He ... with such nimbleae sly 
Could wield about, that, ere It wereesplde, 
The wicked stroke did wound his enemy 
Behlnde, beside, before. Spenser, F. Q., V. xL 6. 
nimble-Will (nim'bl-wiT), n. A kind of grass, 
Muelilenbergia diffuxa. 
nimble- witted (nim'bl-wit'ed), a. Quick- 
witted. Bacon, Apophthegms, $ 124. 
nimbly (nim'bli). adr. In a nimble manner ; 
with agility; with light, quick motion. 
He capers nimbly In a lady's chamber. 
SnoJ-.,Rich. III., L 1. 12. 
She 's ta'en her young son In her arms, 
And nimWi/ walk'd by yon sea strand. 
The Knight'i Qhott (Child's Ballads, I. 210). 
nimbose (nim'bos), a. [< L. nimbosv*. stormy, 
rainy, < nimbun, a rain-storm, a cloud: see 
,iinii'inx.\ Cloudy; stormy; tempestuous. Asli. 
[Rare.] 
nimbus (nim'bus), n. [< L. nimlnis, a rain- 
cloud, a rain-storm, a cloud, a bright cloud 
feigned to surround the gods when they ap- 
peared on the earth, hence in later use the 
halo of saints; cf. L. nubes, a cloud, nebula, a 
mist, Gr. vt^of, vt$t/.>i, a cloud, a mist : see neb- 
tila,nebule. Cf. nimb.] 1 . A cloud or system of 
clouds from which rain is falling; a rain-cloud. 
See eloudi (17)- 2. In art and Cm<i<m ar- 
rliii-ol., a halo or disk of light surrounding the 
head in representations of divine or sacred 
personages ; also, a disk or circle sometimes de- 
picted in early times round the heads of empe- 
rors and other great men. The nimbus of God the 
Father Is represented as of triangular form, with rays di- 
verging from it on all sides, or in the form of two super- 
posed triangles, or in the same form (inscribed with the 
croei) aa that of Christ. The nimbus of Christ contains a 
crons more or lesa enriched ; that of the Virgin Mary is a 
plain circle, or occasionally a circlet of small stars, and that 
of angels and saints is often a circle of small rays. When 
the nimbus is depicted of a square form, it is supposed to 
