Etymology Dictionary

NEESE, NEEZE,  to breathe hard, sneeze.  (E.)   'To neeze' = to sneeze, Mids. Nt. Dr. ii. 1. 56.   The sb. neesing is in Job, xli. 18 (A.V.).—M.E. nesen, vb., nesing, sb.; see Prompt. Parv., and Way's note.   Somner gives an A.S. form niesan, but it is unauthorised.   Still the word must be E., being known to all the Teut. languages. + Du. niezen, to sneeze. + O. Icel. hnjósa; mod. Icel. hnerra. + Dan. nyse. + Swed. nysa. + G. niesen, O.H.G. niusan.   β. From a Teut. base HNUS, to sneeze, is doubtless of imitative origin.   ¶ In the later version of Wyclif, Job, xli. 18, the reading is fnesynge; this is not quite the same word, though of similar formation.   The sense of fnesynge is 'violent blowing,' but it also means sneezing; cf. A.S. fneosung, sneezing, fnæst, a puff, Du. fniezen, to sneeze.   Cf. 'And fneseth faste' = and puffs hard, Chaucer, C. T. Six-text ed., Group H, l. 62.   It reminds us of Gk. πνέειν, to blow.   Der. nees-ing, neez-ing, as above.