niaiserien.
/nɪˈeɪz(ə)ri/, U.S. /nɪˈeɪz(ə)ri/ Now chiefly literary.
Simplicity; foolishness; (in later use) esp. an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > weakness of intellect > simplicity, simple-mindedness > [noun]
simplenessa1382
innocencec1385
simplessec1391
simplicityc1450
innocencya1513
simplehead1543
greenness1548
insipidity1603
seeliness1642
niaiserie1657
silliness1736
simpletonism1825
simple-mindedness1827
simpletonianism1848
noodleness1931
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > weakness of intellect > simplicity, simple-mindedness > [noun] > instance of
simplicity1574
niaiserie1832
to see any green in one's eye1842
1657 J. Sergeant Schism Dispach't To Rdr. sig. Aivv The one makes his advantage from niaisery and shyness, the other from boldness.
1697 J. Sergeant Solid Philos. Pref. sig. A6v Out of Niaiserie and Shamefastness.
1831 Westm. Rev. 14 50 All that he says under this head..consisting of a string of niaiseries unworthy of a schoolboy.
1832 Philol. Museum 1 651 As if a universal deluge of niaiserie..had whelmed the island.
1850 D. G. Mitchell Lorgnette I. 272 Common-places are sometimes remarkable by aggregation, and even niasérie has its heroes.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles I. xix. 254 She..flung..all the crowd of floral nobility impatiently on the ground, in an ebullition of displeasure with herself for her niaiseries.
1936 Jrnl. Philos. 25 660 His thwarted passion did drive him into all sorts of ridiculous and pathetic niaiseries in matters of detail.
1950 J. Brooke Goose Cathedral v. 113 Among other niaiseries of that silly season, we collected graffiti: Eric proposed publishing an anthology of the better ones.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1657