A German word meaning a person who is good-for-nothing, a bum, a lazy person, or a ne'er-do-well. It is composed of the words nichts, meaning 'nothing', and nutz, meaning 'use'.
It is used by the Pennsylvania Dutch, and has thus made a slight entrance into the English language. Americanized spellings include 'nixnutz', or 'nixnootz'. It is often used as a playful reprimand for children, although it can be used quite seriously for adults. The form 'nixnutz' is also used in Germany.