English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Nasa

name

The United States government agency responsible for civilian space exploration, aeronautics research, and space science, founded in 1958.

nasal

adj

Relating to the nose.

nascence

noun

The point at which something starts to exist.

nascency

noun

The early stage of something coming into existence.

nascent

adjective

Just coming into existence and beginning to show promise or potential.

Nash

noun

A now-discontinued American car brand that later merged into American Motors Corporation.

Nashville

name

The capital city of Tennessee, USA, and a major center of the American country-music industry.

Nasir

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "helper" or "protector."

nasnas

noun

A mythical creature, related to jinn, said to have only one side of a human body.

Nassar

name

An Arabic surname derived from a word meaning "victorious" or "helper."

Nassau

noun

In golf, a bet made up of three separate wagers: one on the front nine holes, one on the back nine, and one on the full eighteen.

Nasser

name

A masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin, meaning "victorious" or "helper."

nastiness

noun

The quality of being unpleasant, unkind, or spiteful.

nasty

adj

Unpleasant, unkind, or spiteful, especially in how someone treats others.

Nat

noun

A unit for measuring information or entropy, based on natural logarithms (used in information theory as an alternative to the bit).

natal

adj

Relating to birth or the time and place someone was born.

Natalia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, related to "natalis," meaning "birthday," traditionally linked to Christmas.

Natalie

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "birthday," historically associated with the day of Christ's birth.

natality

noun

The number of babies born in a place compared with its total population, usually measured yearly.

Natalya

name

A feminine given name, a Russian and Slavic form of Natalie, meaning "birthday."

Natasha

name

A feminine given name, a Russian diminutive form of Natalya, meaning "birthday."

Nate

name

A masculine given name, a short form of Nathan or Nathaniel.

nates

noun

The front pair of four bumps on the back of the midbrain in most mammals.

Nath

name

A surname of South Asian origin, often used as a suffix in Bengali and Hindi names meaning "lord" or "master."

nathalia

name

A female first name.

Nathalie

name

A feminine given name, the French form of Natalie, meaning "birthday."

Nathan

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "he gave," also used as an Old Testament prophet's name.

nathanael

name

One of the Apostles who appears in John's Gospel, and is usually identified as Bartholomew.

Nathaniel

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "gift of God."

nation

noun

A large group of people who share a common history, culture, language, or identity, often but not always tied to a specific country.

national

adj

Relating to an entire nation or country, rather than just a region or local area.

nationalisation

noun

The act of a government taking a privately owned industry or asset into public ownership.

nationalism

noun

Strong pride in, and loyalty to, one's own nation, often including the belief that it should be independent or put first.

nationalist

noun

A person who strongly supports nationalism, especially the independence or interests of their own nation.

nationalistic

adj

Showing strong support for the interests of one's own nation.

nationality

noun

The legal status of belonging to a particular nation, usually shown on a passport.

nationalization

noun

An American and Oxford British English standard spelling of nationalisation.

nationally

adv

In a way that affects, involves, or is broadcast across, the whole nation.

nationwide

adj

Covering or reaching every part of a nation.

native

noun

Someone who was born in a particular place.

nativism

noun

A political stance that favours people born in a country over immigrants.

nativity

noun

The birth of Jesus Christ, or a scene or display representing it.

nativization

noun

The process by which a language comes to have people who speak it from birth.

nato

noun

A tropical tree in the genus Mora, native to parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Natsu

name

A Japanese given name, often used for both males and females, meaning "summer."

Natsuko

name

A Japanese feminine given name meaning "summer child."

Natsumi

name

A Japanese feminine given name, often interpreted as "beautiful summer."

natter

verb

To chat in a relaxed way about things that do not really matter.

nattersome

adj

Prone to nattering, or showing signs of it; nagsome.

natty

adj

Smart, neat, and stylishly dressed.

natural

adj

Existing in nature; not made or caused by people.

natural selection

noun

The process by which living things with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and have more offspring, so that those traits become more common in later generations.

naturalise

verb

A non-Oxford British English standard spelling of naturalize.

naturalism

noun

A natural condition, or the quality of matching what is natural.

naturalist

noun

A person who studies plants, animals, and the natural world, often through direct observation.

naturalistic

adj

Looking natural and true to life.

naturalization

noun

The process of giving someone citizenship of a country they were not born in.

naturalize

verb

To give citizenship to a person who was not born a citizen.

naturally

adv

In a way that happens without artificial help or intervention.

nature

noun

The physical world and everything in it — plants, animals, landscapes, and natural forces — as distinct from human-made things.

naturism

noun

The practice of going without clothes among other people, especially where it is not the usual custom, often for the sake of health.

naturist

noun

Someone who chooses to live without clothes as a matter of belief, often for reasons connected to ecology, health, religion or ethics.

naught

pron

Nothing; zero.

naughtiness

noun

The quality of being naughty.

naughty

adj

Badly behaved or mischievous, especially describing a child.

nausea

noun

A queasy feeling in the stomach that often comes with the urge to vomit.

nauseate

verb

To make someone feel sick.

nauseated

adj

Feeling sick to your stomach, as if about to vomit.

nauseating

adj

Causing a feeling of sickness or disgust.

nauseous

adj

Feeling like you are about to vomit; queasy.

nautical

adj

Relating to ships, sailors, or sailing.

nautilus

noun

A sea mollusk with tentacles and a spiral shell divided into air-filled chambers.

nav

noun

Informal short form of "navigation," especially GPS or map-based guidance.

Nava

name

A given name and surname of Hebrew origin, meaning "beautiful" or "pleasant."

Navajo

noun

A member of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States, based mainly in the Southwest.

naval

adj

Relating to a country's navy or to warships.

Navarre

name

A historical kingdom and region straddling the border of Spain and France, now a province in northern Spain.

Navarro

name

A Spanish surname derived from Navarre, originally denoting someone from that region.

nave

noun

The long central hall of a church, where the congregation sits.

naveed

name

A transliteration of the Persian male given name نوید (navid, novid).

navel

noun

The small indentation on the belly where the umbilical cord was once attached.

Navid

name

A masculine given name of Persian origin, meaning "good news" or "glad tidings."

Navidad

name

A Spanish word meaning "Christmas," occasionally used as a given name or place name.

navigate

verb

To plan and follow a route or course while traveling.

navigation

noun

The process or skill of planning and following a course of travel.

navigational

adj

Relating to navigation.

navigator

noun

A person responsible for planning and guiding the course of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle.

Navigators

name

The Navigators, an international evangelical Christian organization founded in the United States in 1933.

Navin

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "new."

navvy

noun

Someone who does heavy manual work building things such as canals or railways.

navy

noun

A country's armed maritime military force.

naw

intj

A pronunciation spelling of not.

nawab

noun

A Muslim ruler or provincial governor in historical South Asia, especially under the Mughal Empire.

nay

adv

An old-fashioned or formal way to say "no."

Naylor

name

An English surname, an occupational name for a maker of nails.

Nazarene

noun

A person from Nazareth, especially used historically to refer to Jesus or his early followers.

Nazareth

name

A city in northern Israel, known in the Bible as the childhood home of Jesus.

Nazca

name

A region and ancient culture in southern Peru, famous for the Nazca Lines, large geoglyphs etched into the desert.

Nazi

noun

A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945.

nazim

noun

An elected head of a local government district in Pakistan.

nazir

noun

The custodian or manager of an Islamic religious endowment (waqf).

Nazism

noun

The fascist ideology of Germany's Nazi Party, marked by extreme nationalism, racism, antisemitism, and Hitler's personal cult of leadership.

NB

abbreviation

Nota bene, Latin for 'note well', used to draw attention to an important point that follows.

NBA

noun

The National Basketball Association: the main professional men's basketball league in North America, made up of thirty teams from the United States and Canada.

NBD

abbreviation

No big deal, used to say that something is unimportant or that no apology or thanks is needed.

nbs

abbreviation

No bullshit: used in texting and online chat to insist that what follows is sincere, or to ask someone to be straight with you.

nd

suffix

The two letters added to a numeral ending in 2 to write its ordinal form: 2nd, 22nd, 102nd. Numbers ending in 12 are the exception and take -th instead: 12th, 112th, 212th.

NDA

noun

A non-disclosure agreement: a contract in which one or both parties promise not to reveal specified confidential information to anyone else.

ne

adv

An archaic word meaning "not."

Neal

name

A male given name and surname, a variant of Neil, ultimately from the Irish name Niall.

Neanderthal

noun

A member of an extinct species of early human closely related to modern humans.

neanderthalian

noun

A member of the Neanderthal people.

neap

noun

The pole or shaft at the front of a cart or similar vehicle pulled by a pair of animals.

neapolis

name

Former name of Naples: a port city in southwestern Italy.

Neapolitan

adj

Relating to the Italian city of Naples.

near

adj

Physically close to something or someone.

nearby

adj

Close by; not far away.

nearer

adj

Comparative of near: less distant; closer.

nearest

adj

Superlative of near: closest in distance, time, or relation.

Nearing

name

An English surname derived from a place or personal name element meaning "near."

nearly

adv

Almost; very close to a particular amount, state, or outcome.

nearness

noun

The fact of being close to someone or something, whether in distance or in feeling.

nearshore

noun

The area of sea just off the coast.

nearside

noun

The side of a road vehicle nearest to the kerb: the left side if one drives on the left of the road.

nearsighted

adjective

Able to see things clearly only when they are close, with distant objects appearing blurred; short-sighted.

nearsightedness

noun

Short-sightedness: the condition of being unable to see things clearly at a distance.

Neary

name

An Irish surname, an anglicized form of Ó Náraigh.

neat

adj

Tidy and orderly; clean in appearance.

neaten

verb

To tidy up a person or thing so that everything is neat and in order.

neath

prep

Beneath; under (a poetic or dialectal shortening).

neatly

adv

In a tidy, careful, or well-organized manner.

neb

noun

A beak, snout, or nose — of a bird, animal, or (informally) a person.

Nebuchadnezzar

noun

An oversized wine bottle holding about 15 litres, equal to roughly 20 standard bottles.

nebula

noun

A vast cloud of gas and dust in space, often glowing or reflecting light from nearby stars.

nebular

adj

Belonging or related to a nebula.

nebulosity

noun

How cloudy the sky is, measured on a scale called octas.

nebulous

adj

In the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.

necessarily

adv

As an unavoidable result; inevitably.

necessariness

noun

The quality of being necessary.

necessarium

noun

Another word for reredorter: the toilet block of a monastery, usually built at the back of the dormitory.

necessary

adj

Required or essential in order to achieve something or avoid a problem.

necessitate

verb

To make something needed, so that it has to happen.

necessitation

noun

Necessity seen as a principle of logic or philosophy, or as a law of nature.

necessitous

adj

Poor, and lacking what is needed to live.

necessitousness

noun

Necessitousness is severe poverty, or an urgent lack of basic things.

necessitude

noun

Necessitude is the condition of lacking what you need.

necessity

noun

The state of being required or unavoidable.

neck

noun

The part of the body connecting the head to the shoulders and trunk.

neckband

noun

A neckband is a strip of material worn round the neck.

neckerchief

noun

A scarf worn looped or knotted around the neck.