Etymology — The origins of English words

Derived from benzonitrile which contains the −C≡N group. Benzonitrile was discovered and named by Hermann Fehling in 1844.

From out- + step.

Borrowed from Russian НКВД (NKVD), through phonetic spelling of Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних де́л (Naródnyj komissariát vnútrennix dél) and the use of acronym.

Variant of Oakley, from Old English āc (“oak”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”), thus a clearing in an oak forest; equivalent to oak + -leigh "lea".

One of the variant spellings of Nichols, from Nichol, a Middle English vernacular form of the given name Nicholas + the suffix -s.

From otherworld.

From numerical + -ize.

From non- + acquittal.

From Old French ouster, oustre, a nominalization of Anglo-Norman oustre (“to oust”).

From non- + attender.

Borrowed from French nonchalance.

One of the variant spellings of Nichols, from Nichol, a Middle English vernacular form of the given name Nicholas + the suffix -s.

From ongoing + -ness.

Inherited from Middle English outgang, from Old English ūtgang (“an outgoing, exit”), from Proto-West Germanic *ūtgang, from Proto-Germanic *ūtgangaz, equivalent to out- + gang. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Uutgoang (“exit”), West Frisian útgong (“exit”), Dutch uitgang (“exit”), German Ausgang (“exit”), Swedish utgång (“exit”).

From nose + bleed.

From occupation + -less.

From orient + -ate or a back-formation from orientation. Compare French orienter and Italian orientare.

The noun is derived from Late Middle English ortografie, ortographie (“spelling”) [and other forms], and then either: * from Anglo-Norman ortografie, Middle French orthographie, ortografie, ortographie (“correct spelling; orthographic projection”) (compare Old French ortografie; modern French orthographe (“spelling, orthography”), orthographie (“orthographic project, orthography”)); or * from their etymon Latin orthographia (“correct spelling; building elevation”), from Koine Greek ὀρθογραφία (orthographía, “correct spelling”), from Ancient Greek ορθο- (ortho-, prefix meaning ‘right, proper; upright’) (from ὀρθός (orthós, “straight; erect, upright; correct, true”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃erdʰ- (“to grow, increase; high; upright”)) + -γραφίᾱ (-graphíā, suffix meaning ‘drawing; writing’) (from γρᾰ́φω (grắphō, “to cut into, scratch; to write”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- (“to carve”)). The English word is analyzable as ortho- (prefix meaning ‘proper, right; straight’) + -graphy (suffix denoting something written or otherwise represented in a specified manner, or about a specified subject). The verb is derived from the noun. First use appears before c.

From French nigérien, from Niger + -ien.

From organic + -ity.

From nit + pick, originally referring to literally removing invisibly tiny louse eggs by hand.

From non- + clergy.

From non- + recurring.

From Norman ormèr/ormer, variants of French ormier, contraction of oreille-de-mer, from Late Latin *auris maris (“ear of the sea”), from Latin auris (“ear”) + mare (“sea”).