"N" Word Origins

narcosis

Origin

From Ancient Greek νάρκωσις (nárkōsis). By surface analysis, narco- + -osis.

narcoterrorism

Origin

From narco- + terrorism; coined by President of Peru from 1963 to 1968 and from 1980 to 1985 Fernando Belaúnde in 1983 when describing terrorist-type attacks against his nation's anti-narcotics police.

narcotic

Greek

From Greek narkotikos, from narkoun, "to numb", related to narke, "numbness".

narcotics

Origin

From narcotic + -s.

narghile

Origin

From French narghilé, from Turkish nargile, from Persian نارگیله (nârgile) from نارگیل (nârgil, “a coconut”), which was formerly used to construct the bowl, likely ultimately from Sanskrit नारिकेल (nārikela, “a coconut”), from a Dravidian language.

Narita

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 成田 (Narita).

nark

Origin

Uncertain. Perhaps from Angloromani nok (“nose”), from Romani nakh, from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀡𑀓𑁆𑀓 (ṇakka), ultimately a doublet of nose.

Narnia

Latin

Named by C. S. Lewis after Narni, an Italian town whose Latin name was Narnia.

narrate

Latin · 1600

Entered English in the 17th century, built on the same Latin root as "narration".

narration

Latin

From Old French narracion, from Latin narratio, built on the verb "to narrate".

narrative

Latin

From Middle French narratif, from Latin narrativus, ultimately from narrare, "to narrate".

narratology

Origin

From narrate + -ology, after French narratologie.

narrator

Latin

From "narrate" plus the agent suffix "-or", mirroring the Latin narrator.

narratory

Origin

From narrator + -y.

narrow

Old English

From Old English nearu, "narrow, confined", tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to twist or constrict".

narrower

Origin

From narrow + -er.

narrowly

Middle English

From Middle English narowly, formed from narrow plus "-ly".

Naruto

Origin

Named after the whirlpools of the Naruto Strait in Japan, which the fish cake's spiral pattern is meant to resemble.

nary

Origin

Formed by squashing together "ne'er" (never) and "a" — so "nary a" originally just meant "never a."

nasal

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin nasalis, built from nasus, "nose," plus the adjective ending "-alis."

nascence

Origin

Adapted borrowing of Latin nāscentia + -ence, from nāscentem (“arising young, immature”), present participle of nāscī (“to be born”) (Old Latin gnāscī; see genus). Doublet of nascency.

nascency

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin nāscentia. Doublet of nascence.

nascent

Latin

From Latin nascentem, the present participle of nasci, 'to be born'.

Nash

Middle English

From Middle English "atten ash," meaning "at the ash tree" — the "n" shifted from the article onto the noun over time, the same way "an apron" once was "a napron."

Nashville

Origin

Named after Francis Nash, an American Revolutionary War general, with the place-forming suffix "-ville" added.

Nasir

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic نَاصِر (nāṣir).

nasnas

Origin

Borrowed from Arabic نَسْنَاس (nasnās).

Nassau

German

Named after the German town of Nassau; the golf-betting sense comes from the Nassau Country Club in New York, where the format was popularized.

nastiness

Origin

Formed from "nasty" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ness."

nasty

Middle English

Traced back to Middle English "nasty," meaning filthy or unclean, though its deeper origin is uncertain — possibly linked to old North Germanic words for "dirty" or "soft."

Nat

Origin

Borrowing from Burmese နတ် (nat).

natal

Latin

From Latin natalis, "of birth," from natus, "born" — the same root that gives us "nation," "native," and "nativity."

Natalia

Origin

Latin natale (“birthday (of the Lord)”), referring to birth on Christmas Day, name of an early martyr.

Natalie

Origin

From the French form of the Late Latin saint's name Natalia, from nātālis (diēs) (“birthday [of Christ], Christmas”). Doublet of Natalya.

natality

Origin

From natal + -ity, perhaps after mortality. Compare French natalité (“birthrate”) and Middle English natalyte (“birth”). Philosophical usage introduced by Hannah Arendt.

Natalya

Russian

Transliteration of Russian Ната́лья (Natálʹja). Doublet of Natalie.

Natasha

Russian

Borrowed from Russian Ната́ша (Natáša), an informal pet form of Ната́лья (Natálʹja), cognate to Natalie.

Nate

Origin

A variant of Neat.

nates

Origin

From Latin natēs, plural of natis.

Nathan

Hebrew

From Hebrew "natan," meaning "gave," and closely related to the longer name Jonathan.

nathanael

Origin

From Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).

Nathaniel

Ancient Greek

Modification, under influence of Daniel, of Nathanael, from Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).

nation

Latin

From Latin nātiō, "birth, race, people," ultimately from nāscor, "to be born" — the same root behind "native" and "natal."

national

French

From French national, built from "nation" plus the adjective ending "-al."

nationalism

French

Borrowed from French nationalisme, built from "national" plus the suffix "-ism," which turns a concept into a movement or belief system.

nationalist

Origin

From "national" plus the agent-forming suffix "-ist," meaning someone who follows or believes in it.

nationality

French

From "national" plus "-ity," a suffix that turns an adjective into an abstract noun — likely influenced by the French nationalité.

nationally

Origin

From "national" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."