Hyphenation
nud·nikPronunciation
Etymology
() 1925 noodnik, 1929 nudnik. From Yiddish (nudnik) (nudyen, “to bore”) + (-nik, “noun-forming suffix”). Ultimately from Proto-Slavic *nuda *neuti- (“need”) *nau- (“death, to be exhausted”). Compare Russian нудный (núdnyj, “tedious”), Ukrainian нудний (núdnýj, “tedious”), Polish nudny (“boring”), Old Church Slavonic ноудити (nuditi) or нѫдити (nǫditi, “to compell”), Hebrew נודניק (“nag”) and English -nik.