- -ness
- suffix of action, quality or state, attached to an adj. or pp. to form a noun, from O.E. -nes(s), general W.Gmc., cf. M.Du. -nisse, O.H.G. -nissa, Ger. -nis, Goth. -inassus.
- -nik
- as in beatnik, etc., suffix used in word formation from c.1945, from Yiddish -nik (cf. nudnik "a bore"), from Rus. -nik, common personal suffix meaning "person or thing associated with or involved in" (cf. kolkhoznik "member of a kolkhoz"). Rocketed to popularity with sputnik (q.v.).
- N
- in nickname, newt, and British dial. naunt, the -n- belongs to a preceding indefinite article an or possessive pronoun mine. Other examples of this from M.E. manuscripts include a neilond ("an island," early 13c.), a narawe ("an arrow," c.1400), a noke ("an oak," early 15c.), a nappyle ("an apple," early 15c.). The process also worked in surnames, from oblique cases of O.E. at "by, near," e.g. Nock/Nokes/Noaks from atten Oke "by the oak;" Nye from atten ye "near the lowland." The loss of it to a preceding a is more common: apron, auger, adder, umpire, humble pie, etc. The mathematical use of n for "an indefinite number" is first recorded 1852, in to the nth power.
- N.B.
- 1673, L. abbreviation of nota bene "note well."
- n.g.
- abbreviation of no good, attested from 1838; variant n.b.g. for no bloody good is first recorded 1903.
- NAACP
- abbreviation of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, first attested 1910. Organization founded Feb. 12, 1909, as National Negro Committee.
- Naaman
- masc. proper name, biblical name of Aramean general cured of leprosy by Elisha, from Heb. Na'aman, lit. "pleasantness," from stem of na'em "was pleasant or lovely."
- nab (v.)
- "to catch (someone), 1686, probably a variant of dial. nap "to seize, catch, lay hold of" (1673, now surviving only in kidnap), which is possibly from Scand. (cf. Norw. nappe "to catch, snatch;" Swed. nappa; Dan. nappe "to pinch, pull"), reinforced by M.E. napand "grasping, greedy."
- nabob
- 1612, "deputy governor in Mogul Empire," Anglo-Indian, from Hindi nabab, from Arabic nuwwab, honorific pl. of na'ib "viceroy, deputy," from base n-w-b "to take someone's place." Also used of Europeans who came home from India having made a fortune there, hence "very rich man" (1764).
- nacho
- according to "The Dallas Morning News" [Oct. 22, 1995], named for restaurant cook Ignacio Anaya, who invented the dish in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras in 1943.
- nacre (n.)
- 1598, "type of shellfish that yields mother-of-pearl," from M.Fr., from It. naccaro (now nacchera), possibly ult. from Arabic nakara "to hollow out," in ref. to the shape of the mollusk shell. Meaning "mother-of-pearl" is from 1718.
- nada
- slang, "nothing," 1933, introduced by Hemingway, from Sp., "nothing," from L. (res) nata "small, insignificant thing," lit. "(thing) born."
- nadir
- c.1391, in astronomical sense, from M.L. nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, lit. "opposite of the zenith," from nazir "opposite" + as-samt "zenith" (see zenith). Transf. sense of "lowest point (of anything)" is first recorded 1793.
- nag (v.)
- "annoy by scolding," 1828, originally a dialectal word, probably ultimately from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. gnaga "to complain," lit. "to bite, gnaw," dial. Swed. and Norw. nagga "to gnaw") related to O.E. gnagan "to gnaw" (see gnaw).
- nag (n.)
- "old horse," c.1400, nagge "small riding horse," of unknown origin, perhaps related to Du. negge, neg (but these are more recent than the Eng. word). Term of abuse is a transferred sense, first recorded 1598.
- naiad
- "water nymph," 1610, from L. naias (gen. naiadis), from Gk. Naias (pl. Naiades) "river nymph," from naiein "to flow," from PIE *sna- (cf. L. nare "to swim," Skt. snauti "drips;" see natatorium).
- naif (adj.)
- 1598, from Fr. naïf, lit. "naive" (see naive). As a noun, first attested 1893.
- nail
- O.E. negel "metal pin," nægl "fingernail (O.E. handnægl), toenail," from P.Gmc. *naglaz (cf. O.H.G. nagel, O.Fris. neil, M.Du. naghel, Ger. Nagel "fingernail, small metal spike"), from PIE base *(o)nogh "nail" (cf. Gk. onyx, L. unguis "nail, claw," O.C.S. noga "foot," Lith. naga "hoof," O.C.S. noguti "nail, claw," Lith. nagutis "fingernail," O.Ir. ingen, O.Welsh eguin "nail, claw"). The "fingernail" sense seems to be the original one. The verb is O.E. næglian, from P.Gmc. *ganaglijanan. Meaning "to catch, seize" is first recorded 1766. To bite one's nails as a sign of anxiety is attested from 1577. To hit the nail on the head "say or do just the right thing" is first recorded 1529.
- naive
- 1650s, from Fr. naïve, fem. of naïf, from O.Fr. naif "naive, natural, just born," from L. nativus "not artificial," also "native, rustic," lit. "born, innate, natural" (see native).
- naivete
- 1670s, from Fr. naïveté, from O.Fr. naiveté "native disposition" (see naive). Anglicized form naivety is attested from 1708.
- naked
- O.E. nacod "nude," also "not fully clothed," from P.Gmc. *nakwathaz (cf. O.Fris. nakad, M.Du. naket, Du. naakt, Ger. nackt, O.N. nökkviðr, O.Swed. nakuþer, Goth. naqaþs "naked"), from PIE base *neogw- "naked" (cf. Skt. nagna, Hittite nekumant-, L. nudus, Lith. nuogas, O.C.S. nagu-, O.Ir. nocht, Welsh noeth). Applied to qualities, actions, etc., from late 14c. (first in "The Cloud of Unknowing"); phrase naked truth is from 1585, in Alexander Montgomerie's "The Cherry and the Slae").
Which thou must (though it grieve thee) grant
Phrase naked as a jaybird (1943) was earlier naked as a robin (1879, in a Shropshire context); the earliest comparative was naked as a needle (late 14c.).
I trumped never a man.
But truely told the naked trueth,
To men that meld with mee,
For neither rigour, nor for rueth,
But onely loath to lie.
[Montgomerie, 1585] - Nam
- colloquial shortening of Vietnam, 1969, originally among U.S. troops sent there.
- namaste
- "salutatory gesture," 1948, from Hindi, from Skt. namas "bowing" + te, dat. of tuam "you" (sing.). Used as a word of greeting from 1967.
- namby-pamby
- 1726, satiric nickname of Eng. poet Ambrose Philips (1674-1749) mocking his sentimental pastorals addressed to infant members of the nobility. Used first in a farce credited to Carey; in general sense of "weakly sentimental, insipidly pretty" it is attested from 1745.
- name
- O.E. nama, from P.Gmc. *namon (cf. O.Fris. nama, O.H.G. namo, Ger. Name, Du. naam, O.N. nafn, Goth. namo "name"), from PIE *nomn- (cf. Skt. nama, Avestan nama, Gk. onoma, onyma, L. nomen, O.C.S. ime, gen. imene, Rus. imya, O.Ir. ainm, O.Welsh anu). Meaning "one's reputation" is from c.1300. As a modifier meaning "well-known," first attested 1938. The verb is from O.E. namian. Name-calling is from 1853; name-dropper first recorded 1947. The name of the game "the essential thing or quality" is from 1966; to have one's name in lights "be a famous performer" is from 1929.
- namely
- "particularly, especially" (i.e. "by name"), late 12c., from name.
- namesake
- 1646, "person named for the sake of someone" is probably originally (for the) name's sake.
- nana
- child's word for "grandmother" or, sometimes, "nurse" is first recorded c.1844 (see nanny).
- nance
- "effeminate man, homosexual," 1904, from female name Nancy (q.v.), which was in use as an adj. meaning "effeminate" (applied to men) from 1883, a shortening of earlier Miss Nancy, perhaps from the nickname of vain, fashionable actress Miss Anna Oldfield (d.1730).
- Nancy
- fem. proper name, probably a pet form of Ancy, dim. of M.E. Annis "Agnes." Among the top 10 popular names for girls born in U.S. between 1935 and 1955.
- nankeen
- "kind of cotton cloth," 1755, from Nanking, China, where it originally was made. The city name is lit. "southern capital."
- nanny
- "children's nurse," 1795, from widespread child's word for "female adult other than mother" (cf. Gk. nanna "aunt"). The word also is a nickname form of the fem. proper name Anne, which probably is the sense in nanny goat (1788, cf. billy goat). The verb meaning "to be unduly protective" is from 1954. Nanny-house "brothel" is slang from c.1700.
- nanosecond
- 1959, coined from Gk. nanos "dwarf" + second (n.), q.v.
- Nantucket
- early forms include Natocke, Nantican, Nautican; from an obscure southern New England Algonquian word, perhaps meaning "in the middle of waters."
- Naomi
- fem. proper name, biblical mother-in-law of Ruth, from Heb. Na'omi, lit. "my delight," from no'am "pleasantness, delightfulness," from stem of na'em "was pleasant, was lovely."
- nap (n.)
- "downy surface of cloth," 1440, from M.Du. or M.L.G. noppe "nap, tuft of wool," probably introduced by Flem. cloth-workers. Cognate with O.E. hnappian "to pluck," ahneopan "pluck off," O.Swed. niupa "to pinch," Goth. dis-hniupan "to tear."
- nap (v.)
- O.E. hnappian "to doze, sleep lightly," of unknown origin, apparently related to O.H.G. hnaffezan. The noun is first attested c.1300.
- Napa
- California county, perhaps from a Southern Patwin (Wiuntun) word meaning "homeland."
- napalm
- 1942, from na(phthenic) palm(itic) acids, used in manufacture of the chemical that thickens gasoline. The verb is 1950, from the noun.
- nape
- "back of the neck," c.1300, of unknown origin, perhaps from O.Fr. hanap "a goblet," in reference to the hollow at the base of the skull.
- naphtha
- "inflammable liquid distilled from petroleum," 1572, from L., from Gk. naphtha "bitumen," perhaps from Pers. neft "pitch," or Aramaic naphta, nephta, but these could as well be from Gk. Naphthalene was coined 1821 by Eng. chemist John Kidd (1775-1851) from naphtha + chem. suffix -ine + -l- for the sake of euphony.
- napkin
- 1420, from O.Fr. nappe "tablecloth" (from L. mappa, see map) + M.E. -kin "little."
- nappy (adj.)
- "downy," 1499, from nap (n.). Meaning "fuzzy, kinky," used in colloquial or derogatory ref. to the hair of black people, is from 1950.
- narc (n.)
- 1967, Amer.Eng. slang, shortened form of narcotics agent (earlier narco). Had been used 1955 for narcotics hospital, 1958 for narcotics addict. Sense and spelling tending to merge with older but unrelated nark (q.v.).
- narcissism
- 1905, from Ger. Narzissismus, coined 1899 by Ger. psychiatrist Paul Näcke (1851-1913) [in "Die sexuellen Perversitäten"], on a comparison first suggested 1898 by Havelock Ellis, from Gk. Narkissos, beautiful youth in mythology (Ovid, "Metamorphoses," iii.370) who fell in love with his own reflection in a spring and was turned to the flower narcissus (q.v.).
But already Krishna, enamoured of himself, had resolved to experience lust for his own self; he manifested his own Nature in the cow-herd girls and enjoyed them." [Karapatri, "Lingopasana-rahasya," Siddhanta, II, 1941-2]
- narcissist
- 1930, from narcissism.
- narcissistic
- 1916, from narcissism.
- narcissus
- "type of bulbous flowering plant," 1548, from L., from Gk. narkissos, probably from a pre-Gk. Aegean word, but associated with Gk. narke "numbness" (see narcotic) because of the plant's sedative effect.
- narcolepsy
- 1880, from Fr. narcolepsie, coined 1880 by Fr. physician Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau (1859-1928) from comb. form of Gk. narke "numbness, stupor" (see narcotic) + lepsis "an attack, seizure."
- narcosis
- 1693, "state of unconsciousness caused by a narcotic," from Mod.L., from Gk. narkosis, from narkoun "to benumb" (see narcotic).