"N" Word Origins

nullifidianism

Origin

From nullifidian + -ism. Compare null and fidelity.

nulliverse

Origin

From null + -i- + -verse, coined by William James.

num

Origin

Likely imitative of the sound of chewing or lip-smacking; the root of the more common form "yum" or "nom nom".

numb

Origin

From the old past form of the verb "nim" ("to take" or "to seize"); the silent "b" was added later and was never actually pronounced.

numbat

Origin

Borrowed from Nyunga nhumbad.

number

Latin

From Old French nombre, from Latin numerus ("number"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to divide" or "to allot".

numbering

Middle English

From Middle English nombrynge, formed from number plus the suffix -ing.

numbersome

Origin

From number + -some.

numbfish

Origin

From numb + fish.

numbness

Origin

Formed from numb plus the suffix -ness, which turns an adjective into a noun describing its state.

numbnuts

Origin

A blend of numb and nuts, both suggesting dullness or foolishness.

numeracy

Origin

From numerate + -cy, from Latin numerus; coined with numerate in 1959 by the UK Committee on Education, presided over by Sir Geoffrey Crowther.

numeral

Origin

As an adjective, from Middle English numeral, numerall, from Latin numerālis (“pertaining to a number”), from numerus (“a number”). As a noun, via Middle French numeral.

numeration

Origin

From Middle English numeracioun, from Latin numerātiō. By surface analysis, numerate + -ion.

numericalize

Origin

From numerical + -ize.

numero

Latin

Borrowed from Latin numero, the ablative form of numerus, "number".

numerous

Latin

From Latin numerosus, "numerous, abundant", built from numerus, "number".

numinous

Origin

From Latin nūmen (“nod of the head; divine sway or will; divinity”) + -ous (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting possession or presence of a quality). Nūmen is believed to derive either from Latin *nuō (“to nod”) or from Ancient Greek νοούμενον (nooúmenon, “influence perceptible by the mind but not the senses”) (ultimately from νόος (nóos, “mind; thought; purpose”)).

numps

Origin

From Humphrey, compare Ned and Nellie, respectively from Edward and Eleanor.

numskull

Origin

From numb (“deadened”) + skull.

nun

Late Latin

From Old English nunne, from Late Latin nonna, originally a respectful term of address for an older person, echoing baby-talk words like "nana".

nuncheon

Origin

From Middle English nonshench, noneschench, nonechenche (“slight refreshment, usually taken in the afternoon”), from none (“noon”) + shench, schenche (“draught, cup”), equivalent to noon + shink (“to pour out, serve”). More at shink, skink.

nuncle

Origin

From rebracketing of phrases an uncle, mine uncle, thine uncle, etc. Compare neam and naunt. For the verb, OED suggests an evolution in sense "to claim to be one's uncle" > "to cheat". It compares this derivation with cozen, which it derives from cousin. For the technical anthropological sense, compare nibling.

Nunez

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Núñez.

nunnery

Middle English

From Middle English nonnery, built from nun plus the suffix -ery, which denotes a place or institution.

nuprin

Origin

Marketing name.

nuptial

Latin

From Latin nuptialis, "pertaining to marriage", from nuptiae, "wedding".

nuptials

Latin

From nuptial, ultimately from Latin nuptiae, "wedding".

Nur

Origin

Borrowed from Uyghur نۇر (nur), meaning "light."

Nuremberg

Medieval Latin

From German Nürnberg, from Medieval Latin Norinberga; the second part comes from Berg, "mountain" or "hill".

Nuri

Arabic

From Arabic نُورِيّ (nūriyy), related to nūr ("light").

nurse

Late Latin

From Old French norrice, from Late Latin nutricia, based on Latin nutrix, "wet nurse", from nutrire, "to nourish".

nursemaid

Origin

A compound of nurse and maid.

nursery

Origin

From Middle English noricerie, norserye (“children's nursery; state of being fostered or nursed; education, upbringing”) [and other forms], from Old French norricerie, nourricerie, from norrice, nourrice (modern French nourrice (“childminder, nanny; wet nurse”)) + -erie (suffix forming feminine nouns). Norrice and nourrice are derived from Late Latin nūtrīcia (“wet nurse”), from Latin nūtrīcius (“that nurses or suckles; nourishing”), from nūtriō (“to breastfeed, nurse, suckle”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- (“to flow”). The English word may be analysed as nourice, nurse + -ery (suffix forming nouns meaning ‘place of’).

nurseryman

Origin

From nursery + man.

nursling

Origin

From nurse + -ling.

nurture

Latin

From Old French norriture, "nourishment", from Latin nutrire, "to nourish".

nustle

Origin

Compare nuzzle and nursle.

nut

Latin

From Old English hnutu, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "nut", possibly related to Latin nux.

nutbag

Origin

From nut + bag.

nutbar

Origin

From nut + bar.

nutcase

Origin

A compound of nut (in the sense of "crazy person") and case, as in "headcase".

Nutella

Italian · 1960

A brand name coined in the early 1960s by the Italian businessman Michele Ferrero, built from "nut" plus the Italian diminutive suffix -ella.

nutgall

Origin

From nut + gall.

nuthook

Origin

From nut + hook.

nuthouse

Origin

A compound of nut (slang for a crazy person) and house.

nutmeg

Medieval Latin

From Middle English notemuge, a partial translation of Medieval Latin nux muscata, "musky nut".

nutrient

Latin

Borrowed from Latin nutriens, the present participle of nutrire, "to nourish".