Nyce

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An informal, stylized spelling of the adjective meaning pleasant, agreeable, or attractive, often seen in casual writing or slang
2. A playful respelling of the everyday word for something pleasing, friendly, or good in its quality or manner
3. A nonstandard variant spelling used informally to convey that someone or something is pleasant, kind, or appealing

Etymology: The adjective that "nyce" respells once meant the opposite of pleasant. Its ancestor, Old French "nice," meant foolish or silly, and it came from Latin "nescius," "ignorant," literally "not knowing," formed from "ne" (not) and "scire" (to know). From foolishness the sense drifted toward fussiness. Someone who was "nice" was overly particular, hard to please, or finicky, and the word could also suggest wantonness or excessive refinement. Over time the emphasis moved from being fussy about small things to being precise, delicate, and finally to being agreeable, so the modern sense of pleasant developed gradually out of these earlier meanings. "Nyce" itself is a deliberate informal respelling of that modern adjective, not a historical form. Its altered letter gives the familiar word a playful, decorative look in casual writing and slang.