Disputed.

• De Vaan suggests that, based on the formnīxus, it is likely that the original root ended with a velar. According to De Vaan, it may be connected with the rootProto-Indo-European*kneygʷʰ-(“to bend, to droop”), whence also possiblyLatinconnīveō. If the term is related toconnīveō, thengnixus—a supposedly archaic form mentioned by Festus—may genuinely reflect an archaic stage of the Latin term. If this possibility is accepted, then the older form ofnītor may have been*gnītor.
• Possibly aback-formation fromnīsus, although De Vaan considers there to be no other sufficient model for such a development.
• Rix connects the term withSanskritयतते(yatate), itself from the rootयत्(yat). Rix suggests that the term could derive from a thematic present fromProto-Indo-European*yet-. De Vaan rejects this comparison, arguing that the unclear nature of the original meaning of the Latin term prevents a definitive connection with the Sanskrit term.
• The linguist Andrey Shatskov connects the term with terms such asLithuanianap-ni̇̀kti,Old Church Slavonicникнѫти(niknǫti), andAncient Greekνεῖκος(neîkos). Shatskov reconstructs a root*neyk-(“to approach energetically”). Shatskov argues that the archaic forms mentioned by Festus are intentionally archaicizing and likely formed according to the model of terms such asnōscō andgnōscō.

• (Classical Latin)IPA^(key): [ˈniː.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)IPA^(key): [ˈniː.t̪or]

nītor (present infinitivenītī,perfect activenīsussumornīxussum);third conjugation,deponent

1. (lit.) tobear orrest upon something,lean on
   • Plautus,The Rope III, 3, 33:

     Ambae te opsecramus, aram amplexantes hanc tuam lacrumantes,genibus nixae

     We both entreat you, clinging to this altar of yours in tears andresting upon our knees

   • Ovid,Fasti III, 751:

     Ramoso stipitenixus

     Leaning upon a branchy log

2. (fig.) to besupported by; torely on; totrust; to bebased on
   • Cicero,De Officiis I, 122:

     Quorum consilio atque auctoritatenitatur

     [so as to] besupported by their advise and their reputation

   • Cicero,Epistulae ad Atticum III, IX:

     Nunc si ita sunt quae speras, sustinebimus nos et spe qua iubesnitemur

     Now if things are as you hope, I shall keep going andtrust to the hope which you tell me to trust

3. topress forward,advance
4. tomount,climb,ascend;fly
5. tostrain ingiving birth;bring forth
6. (figuratively) tostrive,struggle,exert oneself,make an effort,labor,endeavor

   Synonyms:lūctor,certō,cōnītor,cōnor,temptō,ēlabōrō,appetō,īnsequor,affectō,tendō,quaerō,studeō,contendō,pugnō,molior,perīclitor,ēnītor,adnītor,labōrō,spectō

   • c. 42BCE,Sallust,Bellum Catilinae:

     Omnīs hominēs quī sēsē student praestāre cēterīs animālibus summā openītī decet nē vītam silentiō trānseant veluti pecora

     It is suitable for all who wish to be better than animalsto struggle with their best effort in order not to go through life in silence like cattle.

7. (figuratively) totry toprove,contend in argument,argue
8. (figuratively) torest,rely,depend upon
   • c. 52BCE,Julius Caesar,Commentarii de Bello Gallico1.13:

     Se ita a patribus maioribusque suis didicisse, ut magis virtute quam dolo contenderent aut insidiisniterentur

     The Helvetii had learned from their fathers and ancestors to fight their battles with great virtue, not deception or byrelying on trickery

Fromniteō(“I shine”) +‎-or.

• (Classical Latin)IPA^(key): [ˈnɪ.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)IPA^(key): [ˈniː.t̪or]

nitor m (genitivenitōris);third declension

1. brightness,splendor,lustre,sheen
2. sleekness,goodlooks,beauty,glamour
3. neatness,smartness,elegance,brilliancy
4. (of speech) splendor, elegance,polish,grace
5. (of character)dignity,excellence

Third-declension noun.

• “nītor, nīsus, nixus”, inCharlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879),A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nītor, nīsus, nixus”, inCharlton T. Lewis (1891),An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “nitor, -ōris”, inCharlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879),A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nitor, -ōris”, inCharlton T. Lewis (1891),An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “nitor”, inGaffiot, Félix (1934),Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Forcellini, Egidio; Furlanetto, Giuseppe (ed.); Corradini, Francesco (ed.); and Perin, Giuseppe (ed.) (1733-1965).Lexicon Totius Latinitatis. Bologna: Arnaldo Forni.Vol. III. p. 376.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894),Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London:Macmillan and Co.
  • it is a matter of conjecture, supposition:aliquid coniectura nititur, continetur (Div. 1. 14. 24)
    
  • to cherish a hope:spe duci, niti, teneri
    
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008),Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill,→ISBN,pages410-411
• Rix, Helmut, editor (2001),Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag,→ISBN,page313
• Pokorny, Julius (1959),Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag,page608
• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995),New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press,→ISBN, page163
• A. V. Shatskov (June2019), “HITT. NININK- AND LAT. NĪTOR”, inIndo-European linguistics and classical philology, volume23, Institute for Linguistic Studies,,→DOI

• Latin terms with unknown etymologies
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