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How often do you use the word "nice"? I have no idea how many times I physicallyutterthe word "nice" in a single day, but I'd guess it's a lot.

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So: How can one word serve as the appropriateresponse to both impendingdoomand caffeinebreaks?

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According to lexiconhistory, "nice" has led an erraticexistence. Over the years, "nice" has meant everything from "lewd"to "coy"to "kind." Oxford Dictionaries cruisesthrough the meanderinghistory of the word on its blog.

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The word "nice," Oxford claims, has pretty negativeroots in the Latin "nescius," meaning "ignorant." But it really took off in the 14th century as a term for something foolish or silly. The negative connotations ballooned from there. "Nice" was used to refer to a variety of less-than-great sentiments including wantonness, extravagance, ostentation, lasciviousness, cowardiceand sloth. Like, "Teobaldus, your fear of the Black Plague is nice."

Å£½ò´Êµä³Æ“nice”Ò»´ÊÔ´×ÔÀ­¶¡ÓïÀïµÄ±áÒå´Ê“nescius”£¬Òâ˼ÊÇ“ÎÞÖªµÄ”¡£µ«Ëüʵ¼ÊÉÏÊÇ´Ó14ÊÀ¼Í¿ªÊ¼×÷Ϊ±íʾÓÞ´À»òɵµÄ´Ê»ã£¬¶øÆä±áÒåµÄÄÚº­Ò²ÊÇ´ÓÄÇʱºò¿ªÊ¼Ô½À´Ô½Å¨ÖصÄ¡£“nice”Ò»´ÊЯ´øÁ˸÷ÖÖ²»Ì«ºÃµÄ¸ÐÇéÉ«²Ê£¬°üÀ¨“ÒùÂÒ”¡¢“·Å×Ý”¡¢“ÂôŪ”¡¢“ºÃÉ«”¡¢“ųÈõ”¡¢“ÀÁ¶è”µÈº¬Òå¡£¾Ù¸öëÀõ×Ó£º“Ìá°Â°Í¶Å˹£¬Ä㺦źÚËÀ²¡ÕâÖÖʶùÊǺÜniceµÄ¡£”

Dive deeper into the Middle Ages, and the meaning deflated. The word started to hint not at ostentation or cowardice but shyness and reservenot in a negative way, but certainly not yet positively. Let's call it neutral. Like, "Baignard's goat is nice."

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Folks in the 17th and 18th centuries, though, they loved modesty. (Just consider the clothes.) And as a result, "nice" began to take on a more positive tone. As Oxford points out, "nice" started to connote respectability and virtue, refinedtaste and polite mannerisms. Like, "Cornelia's lofty neckline and bulbousskirt are nice."

È»¶ø£¬17ÊÀ¼ÍºÍ18ÊÀ¼ÍµÄÈËϲ»¶µÍµ÷(ÏëÏëËûÃǵÄÒ·þ¾ÍÃ붮ÁË)¡£Òò´Ë£¬“nice”Õâ¸ö´Ê¿ªÊ¼³öÏÖÁ˸üΪ°ýÒåµÄµ÷µ÷¡£ÕýÈçÅ£½ò´ÊµäÖ¸³öµÄ£¬“nice”¿ªÊ¼ÒâÖ¸“¸ßÉДºÍ“ÃÀµÂ”¡¢“ÑÅÖµÄƷζ”¼°“ÀñòµÄ¾ÙÖ¹”¡£ÀýÈ磺“¿ÆÄÝÀò櫵ĸßÁì×°ºÍÅîÅîȹºÜnice¡£”

By the 19th century, use of the word "nice" was not only loaded with a history of confusing meanings, it was also so ubiquitouslytossed about Jane Austen had to pen a quippy bit of dialogue about it. In 1817's Northanger Abbey, character Henry Tilney gently chastisesCatherine Morland for her overuse of the word:

µ½19ÊÀ¼Í£¬“nice”Ò»´Ê²»½öÒòΪÀúÊ·Ô­Òò¾ß±¸ÁËÖî¶àÁîÈËÃÔ»óµÄº¬Ò壬¶øÇÒËüÎÞËù²»ÔÚ£¬Ëæ´¦¿ÉÓã¬ÒÔÖÁÓÚ¼ò·°Â˹͡Ҳ²»µÃ²»Îª´ËдÁËÒ»¶ÎÇÎƤµÄ¶Ô»°¡£ÔÚ1817ÄêµÄ¡¶ÅµÉ£¾õË¡·ÖУ¬ºàÀû·Ìá¶ûÄá¾Íκ͵ØÅúÆÀÁË¿­ÉªÁշĪÀ¼¶ÔÕâ¸ö´ÊµÄÀÄÓãº

"And this is a very nice day; and we are taking a very nice walk; and you are two very nice young ladies," he jests. "Oh, it is a very nice word, indeed! It does for everything."

ËûÏ·ÚʵÀ£º“½ñÌìÊǸöºÜniceµÄÈÕ×Ó£¬ÎÒÃÇÕýÔÚºÜniceµØÉ¢²½£¬ÄãÃÇÊÇÁ½Î»ºÜniceµÄŮʿ¡£Å¶£¬ÄÇÕæµÄÊÇÒ»¸öºÜniceµÄ´Ê!ËüÄÄÀﶼÄÜÓÃ!”

Fast forward to today, and "nice" is still everywhere. Sure, "nice" tends to mean kind, pleasing, polite and friendly, but it can also still mean something along the lines of "socially acceptable" or even "harmless." Toss a "too" in front of it, and "nice" resemblesits earlier definitions: ostentatious or extravagant. Pop an "I guess" after it, and "nice" sounds like a full-fledged neg. Elongatethe "I" in it, and "niiice" becomes a knee-jerk response of an adverb like OK.

¿ì½øµ½½ñÌ죬“nice”ÒÀÈ»Ëæ´¦¿É¼û¡£µ±È»£¬“nice”¿ÉÒÔ±íʾ“ÉÆÁ¼µÄ”¡¢“ÁîÈËÓäÔõĔ¡¢“ÀñòµÄ”¡¢“ÓѺõĔ£¬µ«ËüÒ²»¹ÊDZ£Áô×Å“Éç»áÉÏÆÕ±é½ÓÊܵĔÉõÖÁÊÇ“ÎÞº¦µÄ”µÄÄÚº­¡£ÔÚÇ°Ãæ¼Ó¸ö“too”£¬Ëü¾ÍÓÐÁËÏÈÇ°µÄ¶¨Ò壺“ÂôŪµÄ”»ò“·Å×ݵĔ¡£ÔÚºóÃæ¼Ó¸ö“I guess”£¬“nice”Õâ¸ö´ÊÌýÆðÀ´¾ÍÍêÈ«ÊDZáÒåµÄÁË¡£°ÑÖмä“i”µÄÒôÍϳ¤±ä³É“niiice”ÄØ£¬Ëü¾Í³ÉÁËÒ»ÉùËæ¿ÚÓ¦´ð£¬¾ÍÏñ“OK”ÄÇÑù¡£

Basically, the meaninglessness of "nice" is just as confusing as ever. We seem to use the word whenever we don't know what else to say. Because, well, it works.

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