See also: Nun, nún, nùn, ñun, Nun., and ن

English edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English nonne, nunne, from Old English nunne (nun), from Late Latin nonna (nun, tutor), originally (along with masculine form nonnus (man)) a term of address for elderly persons, perhaps from children's speech, reminiscent of nana, like papa etc. Doublet of nonna.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

nun (plural nuns)

  1. A member of a Christian religious community of women who live by certain vows and usually wear a habit, (Roman Catholicism, specifically) those living together in a cloister.
    Synonyms: sister, moniale, sistren, cloistress
    Antonyms: brother, friar, monk, frater
    • 1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, Faber & Faber Limited (2021), page 258:
      Thus, when the nuns came to the mission and we saw that instead of murmuring soft blessings and gliding seraphically over the grass in diaphanous habits, they wore smart blouses and skirts and walked, laughed and talked in low twanging tones very much like our own American missionaries did, we were very disappointed.
  2. (by extension) A member of a similar female community in other confessions.
    a Buddhist nun
  3. (archaic, Britain, slang) A prostitute.[1]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:prostitute
    • 1770, Samuel Foote, The Lame Lover, a Comedy in Three Acts. [], London: [] Paul Vaillant; and sold by P[eter] Elmsly []; and Robinson and Roberts, [], →OCLC, Act I, page 12:
      Why laſt night, as Colonel Kill'em, Sir William Weezy, Lord Frederick Foretop, and I were careleſsly ſliding the Ranelagh round, picking our teeth, after a damn'd muzzy dinner at Boodle's, who ſhould trip by but an abbeſs, well known about town, with a ſmart little nun in her ſuite.
    • 1881, Pierce Egan, chapter 8, in Life in London[1], page 205:
      "I mean to inform you," answered the Oxonian, with a grin on his face, "that those three nymphs, who have so much dazzled your optics, are three nuns, and the plump female is Mother .... of great notoriety [...]"
  4. A kind of pigeon with the feathers on its head like the hood of a nun.
Usage notes edit

In Roman Catholicism, a distinction is often drawn (especially by members of female religious orders) between nuns and sisters, the former being cloistered and devoted primarily to prayer, the latter being more active, doing work such as operating hospitals, caring for the poor, or teaching.

Hyponyms edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Further reading edit

Etymology 2 edit

Borrowed from the letter’s name in the respective language. Doublet of nu.

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

nun (plural nuns)

  1. The fourteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
Translations edit

See also edit

Further reading edit

Etymology 3 edit

Pronoun edit

nun

  1. Pronunciation spelling of nothing.

References edit

  1. ^ John S[tephen] Farmer; W[illiam] E[rnest] Henley, compilers (1902), “nun”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. [], volume V, [London: [] Harrison and Sons] [], →OCLC, page 76.

Asturian edit

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Latin nōn.

Adverb edit

nun

  1. not, no (used to make negatives)

Etymology 2 edit

Contraction edit

nun

  1. in a/an (contraction of en + un)

Bambara edit

Noun edit

nún

  1. (anatomy) nose

References edit

Chiricahua edit

Alternative forms edit

  • non (in older Americanist literature)

Etymology edit

Cognates: Navajo nooʼ, Western Apache non, noi, Plains Apache nǫǫ.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

nun

  1. grave, burial place
  2. cache

Chuj edit

Noun edit

nun

  1. parent

Esperanto edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from German nun.

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

nun

  1. now

Derived terms edit

Fala edit

Etymology edit

From Old Galician-Portuguese non, from Latin nōn (not).

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

nun

  1. Alternative form of non (no, not)

References edit

  • Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)[2], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Finnish edit

Etymology edit

From Phoenician [Term?].

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈnun/, [ˈnun]
  • Rhymes: -un
  • Syllabification(key): nun

Noun edit

nun

  1. nun (fourteenth letter of the Hebrew and Phoenician scripts and the Northwest Semitic abjad)

Declension edit

Inflection of nun (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative nun nunit
genitive nunin nunien
partitive nunia nuneja
illative nuniin nuneihin
singular plural
nominative nun nunit
accusative nom. nun nunit
gen. nunin
genitive nunin nunien
partitive nunia nuneja
inessive nunissa nuneissa
elative nunista nuneista
illative nuniin nuneihin
adessive nunilla nuneilla
ablative nunilta nuneilta
allative nunille nuneille
essive nunina nuneina
translative nuniksi nuneiksi
abessive nunitta nuneitta
instructive nunein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of nun (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative nunini nunini
accusative nom. nunini nunini
gen. nunini
genitive nunini nunieni
partitive nuniani nunejani
inessive nunissani nuneissani
elative nunistani nuneistani
illative nuniini nuneihini
adessive nunillani nuneillani
ablative nuniltani nuneiltani
allative nunilleni nuneilleni
essive nuninani nuneinani
translative nunikseni nuneikseni
abessive nunittani nuneittani
instructive
comitative nuneineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative nunisi nunisi
accusative nom. nunisi nunisi
gen. nunisi
genitive nunisi nuniesi
partitive nuniasi nunejasi
inessive nunissasi nuneissasi
elative nunistasi nuneistasi
illative nuniisi nuneihisi
adessive nunillasi nuneillasi
ablative nuniltasi nuneiltasi
allative nunillesi nuneillesi
essive nuninasi nuneinasi
translative nuniksesi nuneiksesi
abessive nunittasi nuneittasi
instructive
comitative nuneinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative nunimme nunimme
accusative nom. nunimme nunimme
gen. nunimme
genitive nunimme nuniemme
partitive nuniamme nunejamme
inessive nunissamme nuneissamme
elative nunistamme nuneistamme
illative nuniimme nuneihimme
adessive nunillamme nuneillamme
ablative nuniltamme nuneiltamme
allative nunillemme nuneillemme
essive nuninamme nuneinamme
translative nuniksemme nuneiksemme
abessive nunittamme nuneittamme
instructive
comitative nuneinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative nuninne nuninne
accusative nom. nuninne nuninne
gen. nuninne
genitive nuninne nunienne
partitive nunianne nunejanne
inessive nunissanne nuneissanne
elative nunistanne nuneistanne
illative nuniinne nuneihinne
adessive nunillanne nuneillanne
ablative nuniltanne nuneiltanne
allative nunillenne nuneillenne
essive nuninanne nuneinanne
translative nuniksenne nuneiksenne
abessive nunittanne nuneittanne
instructive
comitative nuneinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative nuninsa nuninsa
accusative nom. nuninsa nuninsa
gen. nuninsa
genitive nuninsa nuniensa
partitive nuniaan
nuniansa
nunejaan
nunejansa
inessive nunissaan
nunissansa
nuneissaan
nuneissansa
elative nunistaan
nunistansa
nuneistaan
nuneistansa
illative nuniinsa nuneihinsa
adessive nunillaan
nunillansa
nuneillaan
nuneillansa
ablative nuniltaan
nuniltansa
nuneiltaan
nuneiltansa
allative nunilleen
nunillensa
nuneilleen
nuneillensa
essive nuninaan
nuninansa
nuneinaan
nuneinansa
translative nunikseen
nuniksensa
nuneikseen
nuneiksensa
abessive nunittaan
nunittansa
nuneittaan
nuneittansa
instructive
comitative nuneineen
nuneinensa

Galician edit

Etymology edit

From contraction of preposition en (in) + masculine article un (a, one).

Pronunciation edit

Contraction edit

nun m (feminine nunha, masculine plural nuns, feminine plural nunhas)

  1. in a, in one

German edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle High German nu, nū, nuo with a secondary final -n, already occasionally in Middle High German nuon, from Old High German nu, from Proto-West Germanic *nū.

Alternative forms edit

  • nu (colloquial; otherwise archaic)

Adverb edit

nun

  1. now, at this moment
  2. now, then; expressing a logical or temporal consequence
    Wir haben abgewaschen, nun müssen wir noch abtrocknen.
    We've washed up, now we must dry [the dishes].
    Was bedeuten nun die geschilderten Entwicklungen für unser Land?
    Now what do the aforementioned developments mean for our country?
  3. unstressed and expletive, used for minor emphasis
    Was soll das nun heißen?
    What's that supposed to mean now?
Usage notes edit
  • Although the adverb is similar and akin to English “now”, German nun is not commonly used in a strictly temporal sense, meaning “at this moment”. For that, see jetzt.

Interjection edit

nun

  1. now, well, so
    Nun, das ist eine schwierige Frage.
    Well, that's a tough question.

Etymology 2 edit

Clipping of nun daß or nun da.

Conjunction edit

nun

  1. (literary or dated colloquial) now that, given that it has occurred that the circumstances do not withstand that …

Hausa edit

Etymology edit

From Arabic نُون (nūn).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

nun f

  1. nun (letter of the Arabic alphabet)

Ido edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Esperanto nunGerman nun. Originally replaced with nunk, it was eventually taken back.

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

nun

  1. now, at present, at this time
    Synonym: nunk (archaic)

Derived terms edit

  • nun kande (now when, now that)
  • nuna evento (a present, current event)
  • nuna stando (the existing condition, status quo)
  • nuna (present, actual, current, now occurring)
  • nuntempa (present day, time)
  • nuntempe (at the present time)

Italian edit

Etymology edit

From Hebrew נו״ן (nun).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈnun/
  • Rhymes: -un
  • Hyphenation: nùn

Noun edit

nun f (invariable)

  1. nun, specifically:
    1. the name of the Phoenician-script letter 𐤍
    2. the name of the Hebrew-script letter נ/ן
    3. the name of the Arabic-script letter ن

Jebero edit

Noun edit

nun

  1. canoe

Lombard edit

Etymology edit

Akin to Italian noi, from Latin nos.

Pronoun edit

nun

  1. we

Mandarin edit

Romanization edit

nun

  1. Nonstandard spelling of nún.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of nùn.

Usage notes edit

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mirandese edit

Adverb edit

nun

  1. not

Old French edit

Etymology 1 edit

See nom.

Noun edit

nun oblique singularm (oblique plural nuns, nominative singular nuns, nominative plural nun)

  1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of nom

Etymology 2 edit

Reduced form of negun.

Adjective edit

nun m (oblique and nominative feminine singular nune)

  1. Alternative form of negun

Pronoun edit

nun

  1. Alternative form of negun

Rohingya edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Compare Bengali নুন (nun).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

nun

  1. salt

Synonyms edit

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Late Latin nonnus.

Noun edit

nun m (plural nuni, feminine equivalent nună)

  1. the godfather at a wedding

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

See also edit

Sicilian edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Latin nōn.

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

nun

  1. not

Tat edit

Etymology edit

Akin to Persian نان (nân, bread), see there for more.

Noun edit

nun

  1. bread

Turkish edit

Etymology edit

From Arabic نُون (nūn).

Noun edit

nun

  1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ن
    • Previous: م
    • Next: و

Volapük edit

Noun edit

nun (nominative plural nuns)

  1. message

Declension edit

Wolof edit

Alternative forms edit

  • ñun (used alongside "nun" in Urban Wolof)

Pronoun edit

nun

  1. we (first-person plural subject pronoun)

See also edit

Zazaki edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ˈnun]
  • Hyphenation: nun

Noun edit

nun

  1. Alternative form of nan