whit

«whit» in Mova's school dictionary: a very tiny amount; it is used almost only in negative… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a whit; used mostly in «not a whit», «no whit»)

meaning for a pupil

1) A whit is a very tiny amount; it is used almost only in negative phrases: «not a whit» means not at all. tree →

2) «Whit» is also short for Whitsun or Whit Sunday, the Christian feast of Pentecost (church, UK). tree →

sense in the lessons

It is an old-fashioned, literary word found in classic stories, the Bible and old poems: «He cared not a whit». In the UK, Whit Sunday or Whitsun is the church feast of Pentecost, when Christians believe the Holy Spirit came to Jesus's followers; «Whit Monday» was a holiday. Phrases: «not a whit», «every whit», «Whit Sunday», «Whitsun».

examples

• He cared not a whit about the rain. tree →
• The new rule did not change things one whit. tree →
• The old knight was not a whit afraid. tree →
• My little brother is every whit as stubborn as me. tree →
• Whit Sunday is also called Pentecost. tree →
• In the old days, children had a holiday at Whitsun. tree →

note

Old-fashioned; modern speech says «not at all», «not a bit». Do not confuse with «wit» (cleverness or humour) or «white». Countable in form but almost never plural.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «whit» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.