An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/nichts

by Friedrich Kluge

nichts, pronominal substantive, ‘nothing,’ Modern High German only, in Middle High German niht. It originated from Middle High German nihtes niht, an emphatic form of the simple niht, which was ultimately omitted; the Modern High German dialectic form nichtst is probably based directly on the Middle High German phrase, which in late Middle High German appears as nihtzit.