- nucleus
- 1704, "kernel of a nut," 1708, "head of a comet," from L. nucleus "kernel," from nucula "little nut," dim. of nux (gen. nucis) "nut," from PIE *knu(k) "lump" (cf. M.Ir. cnu, Welsh cneuen, M.Bret. knoen "nut," O.N. hnot, O.E. hnutu "nut"). General sense of "central part or thing, about which others cluster" is from 1762. Use in reference to cells first recorded 1831. Modern atomic meaning is 1912, first by Ernest Rutherford, though theoretical use for "central point of an atom" is from 1844, in Faraday.
- enucleation
- 1640s, from verb enucleate (1540s), from L. enucleat-, pp. stem of enucleare “to remove the nucleus of” (see nucleus). Literary and figurative in Latin; until modern science usually figurative in English.
- nuclear
- 1846, "of or like the nucleus of a cell," from nucleus (q.v.), probably by influence of Fr. nucléaire. Use in atomic physics is from 1914; of weapons, from 1945. Hence nuclear physics (1933), nuclear energy (1941), nuclear war (1954). Nuclear winter coined by Richard Turco, but first attested in article by Carl Sagan in "Parade" magazine, Oct. 30, 1983. General sense of "central" is from 1912. Nuclear family, originally a sociologists' term, is first attested 1949 in "Social Structure," by American anthropologist G.P. Murdock (1897–1985).
- nucleic acid
- 1892, translation of Ger. Nukleinsäure (1889), from Nuklein "substance obtained from a cell nucleus."
- mitosis
- 1887, coined from Gk. mitos "warp thread" (see mitre) + Mod.L. -osis "act, process." Term introduced by Ger. anatomist Walther Fleming (1843-1905) in 1882. So called because chromatin of the cell nucleus appears as long threads in the first stages.
- Holland
- "the Netherlands," from Du. Holland, probably O.Du. holt lant "wood land," describing the district around Dordrecht, the nucleus of Holland. Technically, just one province of the Netherlands, but extended to the whole nation.
- meiosis
- "division of a cell nucleus," 1905, from Gk., lit. "a lessening," from meioun "to lessen," from meion "less," from PIE base *mei- "to lessen, diminish."
- nougat
- "sweetmeat of almonds and other nuts," 1827, from Fr. nougat, from Prov. nougat "cake made with almonds," from O.Prov. nogat "nutcake," from noga, nuga "nut," from V.L. *nucatum (nom. *nuca), from L. nux (gen. nucis) "nut" (see nucleus).
- nut
- "hard seed," O.E. hnutu, from P.Gmc. *khnut- (cf. O.N. hnot, Du. noot, O.H.G. hnuz, Ger. nuß "nut"), from PIE *knu- "lump" (cf. L. nux, see nucleus). Sense of "testicle" is attested from 1915. Nuts as a derisive retort is attested from 1931. The nut that goes onto a bolt is first recorded 1611 (used of other small mechanical pieces since 1426). Amer.Eng. slang sense of "amount of money required for something" is first recorded 1912. Nuts and bolts "fundamentals" is from 1960.