Definition 1: Pleasant, agreeable. Beyond this, the meaning of the word is very vague; so vague, in fact, that the Oxford Dictionary offers 17 definitions trying to capture it. "Nice" can also serve as the default euphemism for "I don't want to talk about it" or "I don't know what to say."

Usage 1: The problem is that this word is woefully overused. It has gotten to the point that we use it whenever we want to say something positive but can't think of the right word or want to avoid saying it. It has come to be more a dodge than a meaningful speech tool. It is used with a few adjectives as a kind of intensifier, "nice and steady," "nice and easy," "nice and warm." However, be careful since you cannot use this construction with just any adjective.

Suggested usage: Today's is the word to use while gritting your teeth, "Yes, darling, I think the tattoo of the bull moose downing a beer on your chest is very nice." Used sincerely, it is the blandest pleasantry available in the English language, “Have a nice day!”

Etymology: Now we know why today's word is so stupid: that is what it originally meant. It was borrowed from a French dialect as "nice" which meant "stupid." The French word, related to Spanish necio "ignorant,” came from Latin nescius "ignorant" from the verb nescire "to be ignorant" made up of ne "not" and scire "to know," the same root we have today in "science," and "conscience." Now we would expect the original root, *ski "cut," (knowing was seen as analysis, cutting things apart) to end up in English as shi-, since original [k] became [h] in English—and it did. Unfortunately, the word is not a nice one and is just as stupid as "nice." (Brad Ross-MacLeod, inventor of the YD Agora, helped us through the fascinating history of today's word.)