📖 N — The English dictionary

na — Everyday, meaning 1: (Scotland, Northern England) «Na» means «no» or «not»: «I'm na going».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (slang, informal) «Na» or «nah» is a casual way to say «no»: «Na, I'm fine».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) Na is the chemical symbol for sodium, a soft silvery metal found in salt; it comes from its Latin name, natrium.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: As a fragment, «na» is the end of words like «gonna» (going to) and «wanna» (want to).↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (Mandarin, pinyin) «nà» means «that», and «ná» means «to take»; these are not English words.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: In a pronunciation guide, na shows how to say one syllable of a longer word.↗ Example: «Want a biscuit?»↗ «Na, I'm full, thanks.»↗ · Nah, I don't think it'll rain.↗ · «I'm na feart,» said the Scottish lad, meaning «I'm not afraid».↗ · Na is the symbol for sodium on the periodic table.↗ · Table salt is NaCl: one sodium (Na) and one chlorine (Cl).↗ · I'm gon-na be late!↗ · In Mandarin, «nà ge» means «that one».↗ · Write N/A in the box if the question does not apply to you.↗ · Naiads (na'-yads), or Naiades (na-i'-a-deez), 166, 227.↗

naan — Everyday, meaning 1: Naan is a soft, flat bread, often shaped like a teardrop, baked in a hot oven, eaten with curry in Indian, Pakistani and other South Asian food.↗ Example: I dipped my naan in the curry.↗ · We ordered two garlic naans.↗ · Naan is baked inside a hot clay oven called a tandoor.↗ · Dad made pizza on naan bread.↗ · The naan was warm and buttery.↗ · Would you like rice or naan with your meal?↗

nag — Everyday, meaning 1: To keep asking or telling someone to do something in an annoying way.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To keep worrying or hurting you a little: a nagging doubt, a nagging pain.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun, informal) A person who nags.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun, informal) An old or weak horse.↗ Example: Mum keeps nagging me to tidy my room.↗ · Stop nagging!↗ I'll do it in a minute.↗ · I had a nagging feeling I'd forgotten something.↗ · He had a nagging cough for weeks.↗ · My sister nagged Dad until he bought ice cream.↗ · The farmer's old nag could barely pull the cart.↗ · Don't be such a nag.↗ · A nagging thought kept me awake.↗

nagging — Everyday, meaning 1: Nagging is telling someone again and again to do something, in an annoying way.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A nagging pain or feeling goes on and on and will not go away.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A nagging doubt or worry is a small worry that keeps coming back.↗ Example: Mum keeps nagging me to tidy my room.↗ · Stop nagging!↗ I'll do it later.↗ · I had a nagging headache all day.↗ · A nagging cough should be checked by a doctor.↗ · I had a nagging feeling I'd forgotten something.↗ · His nagging made everyone cross.↗

nahuatl — Everyday, meaning 1: Nahuatl is the language of the Aztecs, still spoken today by over a million people in Mexico.↗ Example: The Aztecs spoke Nahuatl.↗ · «Chocolate» comes from a Nahuatl word.↗ · About 1.5 million people in Mexico speak Nahuatl.↗ · «Tomatl» is the Nahuatl word for tomato.↗ · Nahuatl was written in pictures before the Spanish came.↗ · Some Mexican place names come from Nahuatl.↗

nail — Everyday, meaning 1: A nail is a thin, pointed piece of metal you hit with a hammer to join pieces of wood.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Your fingernails and toenails are nails too: the hard parts at the ends of your fingers and toes.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To nail is to fix something with nails.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To nail something (informal) is to do it perfectly: «She nailed the test.».↗ Example: A box has 100 nails.↗ · He uses 4 nails for each board.↗ · She painted her 10 nails.↗ · How many nails are left after he used 35?↗ · Dad nailed the sign to the fence.↗ · Cut your nails and wash your hands.↗ · You hit the nail on the head with that answer.↗ · He nailed his dance at the show.↗ · then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; (Torah DEU.21.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.↗ (Writings 2CH.3.9, JPS 1917)↗ · They deck it with silver and with gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.↗ (Prophets JER.10.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight; (Writings 1CH.22.3, JPS 1917)↗

naira — Everyday, meaning 1: The money of Nigeria; one naira is divided into 100 kobo.↗ Its sign is ₦.↗ Example: The book cost five hundred naira at the market in Lagos.↗ · One naira is made of a hundred kobo.↗ · The sign for naira is ₦.↗ · Ada saved her naira notes in a tin.↗ · The news said the naira had lost value against the dollar.↗ · If one mango costs 200 naira, how much do three cost?↗ Six hundred naira.↗

naked — Everyday, meaning 1: Without any clothes on.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Without the usual cover: a naked flame, a naked light bulb, naked branches.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Not hidden; plain and obvious: naked greed.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: the naked eye: your eyes alone, without a telescope or microscope.↗ Example: You can see some planets with the naked eye.↗ · No naked flames near the camping gas!↗ · The baby ran around naked after his bath.↗ · In winter the trees are naked.↗ · Germs are too small to see with the naked eye.↗ · The emperor walked through the town naked in the story.↗ · The naked bulb gave a harsh light.↗ · She told him the naked truth.↗ · What harm can a naked frog do us?↗ · And He said: 'Who told thee that thou wast naked?↗ (Torah GEN.3.11, JPS 1917)↗ · And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.↗ (Torah GEN.2.25, JPS 1917)↗ · And he said: 'I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.'↗ (Torah GEN.3.10, JPS 1917)↗ · The nether-world is naked before Him, and Destruction hath no covering.↗ (Writings JOB.26.6, JPS 1917)↗ · They lie all night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.↗ (Writings JOB.24.7, JPS 1917)↗ · So that they go about naked without clothing, and being hungry they carry the sheaves; (Writings JOB.24.10, JPS 1917)↗

nakedness — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The state of being without clothes; in the Torah, a word for private parts and for forbidden closeness.↗ Example: The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.↗ (Torah LEV.18.8, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.↗ (Torah LEV.18.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.↗ (Torah LEV.18.12, JPS 1917)↗ · In thee have they uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in thee have they humbled her that was unclean in her impurity.↗ (Prophets EZK.22.10, JPS 1917)↗ · Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen; I will take vengeance, and will let no man intercede.↗ (Prophets ISA.47.3, JPS 1917)↗ · So she uncovered her harlotries, and uncovered her nakedness; then My soul was alienated from her, like as My soul was alienated from her sister.↗ (Prophets EZK.23.18, JPS 1917)↗

name — Everyday, meaning 1: A name is the word we call a person, pet, place or thing.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To name something is to give it a name.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To name something is also to say what it is: «Name three colours.».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A name can mean what people think of you: «a good name».↗ Example: Her name is Lily.↗ · Name the shape with 5 sides.↗ · There are 24 names on the list.↗ · He wrote his name 3 times.↗ · We named our puppy Biscuit.↗ · Can you name the planets in order?↗ · The town is named after a river.↗ · It is unkind to call people names.↗ · And she called his name Issachar.↗ (Torah GEN.30.18, JPS 1917)↗ · And he called the name of it Sitnah.↗ (Torah GEN.26.21, JPS 1917)↗ · Therefore the name of it was called Marah.↗ (Torah EXO.15.23, JPS 1917)↗ · Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever?↗ (Writings PSA.74.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And the name of the city was called Hormah.↗ (Prophets JDG.1.17, JPS 1917)↗ · And ye say: 'Wherein have we despised Thy name?'↗ (Prophets MAL.1.6, JPS 1917)↗

nameless — Everyday, meaning 1: Nameless means having no name or whose name is not known.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Nameless means whose name is kept secret on purpose.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A nameless feeling (fear, dread) is too strange or strong to describe.↗ Example: A nameless stranger knocked at the door.↗ · The stray cat was nameless until we called it Biscuit.↗ · Someone, who shall remain nameless, ate all the biscuits!↗ · She felt a nameless fear in the dark wood.↗ · The tomb holds a nameless soldier.↗ · The river was nameless on the old map.↗ · Suddenly--he could not have told why--a nameless fear seized upon him, and he fled away from the shore as if for his life.↗

namely — Everyday, meaning 1: Namely is used to say exactly who or what you mean, often to give a list or a name.↗ Example: Two pupils were missing, namely Sam and Lily.↗ · Only one planet has rings we can easily see, namely Saturn.↗ · We need three things, namely flour, eggs and milk.↗ · The factors of 6, namely 1, 2, 3 and 6, add up to 12.↗ · There's one problem, namely that we have no ball.↗ · Two seasons are hot here, namely spring and summer.↗ · She won the top prize, namely a new bike.↗ · He has one weakness, namely chocolate.↗ · After all, it was of very little consequence; for Kaela's mamma had the best of all possessions; namely, Kaela herself.↗ · Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.↗ (Torah NUM.13.11, JPS 1917)↗ · 30) Namely, with the two other elements.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · 14) I adopted here the reading of Judah Halevi, namely: (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown unto Israel.↗ (Prophets JDG.8.35, JPS 1917)↗ · There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt; (Writings ECC.5.12, JPS 1917)↗ · upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.↗ (Writings EST.8.12, JPS 1917)↗

namesake — Everyday, meaning 1: A person or thing that has the same name as another.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A person or thing named after someone: «The ship was named after the queen, its namesake.».↗ Example: I met my namesake — another girl called Ruby Brown!↗ · The town of Washington is named after George Washington, its namesake.↗ · My grandad is my namesake; we are both called Thomas.↗ · The new ship is a namesake of an old one sunk in the war.↗ · Prince Charles's namesake, King Charles I, lived in the 1600s.↗ · The bakery's namesake was the founder's grandmother.↗ · After the feasting was over the two namesakes, along with other men, went to the cliff and brought all the treasure home to the Palace.↗

nan — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland) Grandmother; a child's name for their grandma.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: naan or nan bread: a soft flat bread from South Asia (often spelt "naan").↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (computers) NaN means "not a number", an error value.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: In Irish place names such as Tir-nan-Og, nan means "of the".↗ Example: I'm staying at my nan's this weekend.↗ · My nan makes the best apple pie.↗ · Nan, can you read me a story?↗ · We had curry with nan bread.↗ · Her nan is ninety and still walks every day.↗ · Nan and Grandad came to watch my school play.↗ · One of the most pathetic, beautiful, and typical scenes in Irish legend is the return of Ossian from Tir-nan-Og, and his interview with St. Patrick.↗

nanna — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, Australia, NZ, UK, Ireland) Grandmother; a child's name for their gran.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, joking) An old-fashioned or fussy person: such a nanna.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (Australia, informal) nanna nap: a short sleep during the day.↗ Example: We're staying at Nanna's for the weekend.↗ · Nanna made pikelets for afternoon tea.↗ · My nanna knits me a jumper every winter.↗ · Dad had a nanna nap on the couch.↗ · Stop being such a nanna and come to the party!↗ · Nanna and Pop live by the beach.↗ · I called Nanna to say happy birthday.↗

nanny — Everyday, meaning 1: A nanny is a person whose job is to look after a family's children in the family's home.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, informal) Nanny is a child's word for grandmother, like nan or nana.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A nanny goat is a female goat (a male is a billy goat).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal, critical) A «nanny state» is a government that people think makes too many rules about how they should live.↗ Example: Our nanny picks us up from school.↗ · Mary Poppins is the most famous nanny in stories.↗ · (UK, informal) I'm going to Nanny's house for tea.↗ · The nanny goat fed her two kids.↗ · The nanny read us a story before bed.↗ · (informal) Some people complain about a «nanny state» when new rules are made.↗

nanometre — Everyday, meaning 1: A unit of length: one billionth of a metre (0.000000001 m).↗ Symbol: nm.↗ Example: A nanometre is a billion times smaller than a metre.↗ · A human hair is about 80,000 nanometres wide.↗ · Visible light has wavelengths of about 400 to 700 nanometres.↗ · Some viruses are about 100 nanometres across.↗ · Computer chips have tiny parts measured in nanometres.↗ · Your fingernails grow about one nanometre every second.↗ · We use nm as the symbol for nanometre.↗