英語詞源字典N

1、-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. -n

2、ik, 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 Brit. dial. naunt, the -n- belongs to a preceding indefinite article an or possessive pronoun mine. Other examp

3、les of this from M.E. manuscripts include a neilond (an island, c.1220), a narawe (an arrow, c.1400), a noke (an oak, c.1420), a nappyle (an apple, c.1420). 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

4、 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 f

5、rom 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

6、 of leprosy by Elisha, from Heb. Naaman, lit. pleasantness, from stem of naem 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;

7、 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 naib viceroy, deputy, from base n-w-b to take someones place. Also used of Europeans who came home f

8、rom 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-p

9、earl, 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, li

10、t. (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

11、, 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. neg

12、ge, 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 natator

13、ium). naif (adj.) 1598, from Fr. naf, lit. naive (see naive). As a noun, first attested 1893. nail O.E. negel metal pin, ngl fingernail (O.E. handngl), 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 (

14、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. nglian, from P.Gmc. *ganaglijanan. Meaning to catch, seize is first r

15、ecorded 1766. To bite ones 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 1654, from Fr. nave, fem. of naf, from O.Fr. naif naive, natural, just born, from L. nativus not artificial, also native, rustic, lit.

16、 born, innate, natural (see native). Naivet is 1673, from Fr. navet, from O.Fr. naivet native disposition. 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. nkkvir, O.Swed.

17、 nakuer, Goth. naqas 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 16c. (originally in naked truth, 1585). Phrase naked as a jaybird (1943) was earlier naked as a robi

18、n (1879, in a Shropshire context); the earliest comparative was naked as a needle (1377). 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 greeti

19、ng 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.

20、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 ones reputation is from c.1300. As a modifier m

21、eaning well-known, first attested 1938. The verb is from O.E. namian. First record of namely particularly, especially is from c.1175. 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 ones name in lights be a famous

22、 performer is from 1929. namesake 1646, person named for the sake of someone is probably originally (for the) names sake. nana childs 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 us

23、e 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. nankeen kind of cotton cloth, 1755, from

24、Nanking, China, where it originally was made. The city name is lit. southern capital. nanny childrens nurse, 1795, from widespread childs 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

25、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 wo

26、rd, perhaps meaning in the middle of waters. Naomi fem. proper name, biblical mother-in-law of Ruth, from Heb. Naomi, lit. my delight, from noam pleasantness, delightfulness, from stem of naem was pleasant, was lovely. nap (n.) downy surface of cloth, 1440, from M.Du. or M.L.G. noppe nap, tuft of wo

27、ol, 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. Nap

28、a 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. hana

29、p 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 Joh

30、n 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, i

31、s 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 Nck

32、e in Die sexuellen Perversitten, on a comparison first suggested 1898 by Havelock Ellis, from Gk. Narkissos, beautiful youth in mythology (Ovid, Metamorphosis, iii.370) who fell in love with his own reflection in a spring and was turned to the flower narcissus (q.v.). First record of narcissistic is

33、 from 1916; narcissist is from 1930. 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 narcissus type of bulbous flowering plant, 1548

34、, from L., from Gk. narkissos, probably from a pre-Gk. Aegean word, but associated with Gk. narke numbness (see narcotic) because of the plants sedative effect. narcolepsy 1880, from Fr. narcolepsie, coined 1880 by Fr. physician Jean-Baptiste-douard Glineau (1859-1928) from comb. form of Gk. narke n

35、umbness, 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). narcotic (n.) c.1385, from O.Fr. adj. narcotique (1314), from M.L. narcoticum, from Gk. narkotikon, neut. o

36、f narkotikos making stiff or numb, from narkotos, verbal adj. of narcoun to benumb, make unconscious, from narke numbness, stupor, cramp, perhaps from PIE base *(s)nerq- to turn, twist. Sense of any illegal drug first recorded 1926, Amer.Eng. The adj. is first attested 1601. nares nostrils, 1693, fr

37、om L. nares, pl. of naris nostril, from PIE base *nas- (see nose). narghile oriental water pipe for smoking, 1839, from Fr. narghileh, from Persian nargileh, from nargil cocoa-nut, of which the bowl was originally made. The Pers. word is probably from Skt. narikerah, which may be from a Dravidian so

38、urce. nark 1859, to act as a police informer (v.); 1860, police informer (n.), probably from Romany nak nose, from Hindi nak, from Skt. nakra, which probably is related to Skt. nasa nose (see nose). Sense and spelling tending to merge with unrelated narc (q.v.). Narragansett 1622, from southern New

39、England Algonquian Naiaganset (people) of the small point of land, containing nai- a point or angle. Originally in reference to the native people, later to the place in Rhode Island. narration 1432, from O.Fr. narration a relating, recounting, narrating, from L. narrationem (nom. narratio), from nar

40、rare to tell, relate, recount, explain, lit. to make acquainted with, from gnarus knowing, from PIE suffixed zero-grade *gne-ro-, from base *gno- to know (see know). Narrate is first recorded 1656, but was stigmatized as Scot. and not in general use until 19c. narrative (adj.) c.1450, from M.Fr. nar

41、ratif, from L.L. narrativus suited to narration, from L. narrare (see narration). The noun meaning a tale, story is first recorded 1561, from the adjective. Narrator first attested 1611; in sense of a commentator in a radio program it is from 1941. narrow O.E. nearu, from W.Gmc. *narwaz (cf. Fris. n

42、ar, O.S. naro, M.Du. nare), not found in other Gmc. languages and of unknown origin. The verb is O.E. nearwian, from the adj. Narrowly only by a little is attested from 1560. Narrow-minded first recorded 1625. Narrow-gauge railway is 4 feet 8.5 inches or less. The narrow seas (c.1400) were the water

43、s between Great Britain and the continent and Ireland. narthex porch at the end of early churches (used by penitents not admitted to the body of the church), 1673, from Late Gk. narthex, from Gk. narthex giant fennel, of unknown origin. The architectural feature so called from fancied resemblance of

44、 porch to a hollow stem. The word also was used in Gk. to mean a small case for unguents, etc. narwhal 1658, from Dan. and Norw. narhval, probably a metathesis of O.N. nahvalr, lit. corpse-whale, from na corpse + hvalr whale (see whale). So called from resemblance of whitish color to that of dead bo

45、dies. The first element is cognate with O.E. ne, neo, Goth. naus corpse, O.Cornish naun, O.C.S. navi, O.Pruss. nowis corpse, Lett. nawe death, Lith. novyti to torture, kill. nary 1746, alteration of neer a, short for never a. NASA U.S. space agency, acronym of National Aeronautics and Space Administ

46、ration, set up in 1958. nasal 1656, of the nose, from Fr. nasal, from L. nasus nose, from PIE *nas- (see nose). Of speech sounds, attested from 1669. NASCAR acronym for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, U.S. auto racing promotion group founded 1948 in Daytona Beach, Fla. NASCAR dad in

47、U.S. political parlance, small-town, often Southern white men who abandon traditional Democratic leanings to vote Republican at least once every four years coined 2003 by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. nascent 1624, from L. nascentum (nom. nascens), prp. of nasci to be born (see genus). Nashville

48、 type of country & western music, 1963, from Nashville, capital of Tennessee, where it originated. The city is named for Gen. Francis Nash (1742-1777) of North Carolina, U.S. Revolutionary War hero, killed at the Battle of Germantown. The surname is attested from 1296 in Sussex Subsidy Rolls, atten

49、Eysse, atte Nasche (with assimilation of -n- from a preposition; see N), meaning near an ash tree, or near a place called Ash. nasturtium c.1150, plant like watercress, from L. nasturtium cress; the popular etymology explanation of the name (Pliny) is that it is from L. *nasitortium, lit. nose-twist

50、, from nasus nose + pp. of torquere to twist (see thwart); the plant so called for its pungent odor. Modern application to S.Amer. trailing plant with orange flowers first recorded 1704. nasty c.1400, foul, filthy, dirty, unclean, perhaps from O.Fr. nastre bad, strange, shortened form of villenastre

51、 infamous, bad, from vilein villain + -astre, pejorative suffix, from L. -aster. Alternate etymology is from Du. nestig dirty, lit. like a birds nest. Likely reinforced by a Scand. source (cf. Swed. dial. naskug dirty, nasty). Of weather, from 1634; of things generally, unpleasant, offensive, from 1

52、705. Of people, ill-tempered, from 1825. natal c.1374, from L. natalis pertaining to birth or origin, from natus, pp. of nasci to be born (see genus). Natalie fem. proper name, from Fr. Natalie, from Eccles. L. Natalia, from L. (dies) natalis birthday, in Church L., Christmas Day, so probably origin

53、ally a name for one born on Christmas. natatorium 1890, New Englandish word for swimming pool, from L. natator swimmer (from nare to swim) + -ium, neut. suffix. Latin nare is from PIE *sna- to swim, to flow (cf. Arm. nay wet, liquid; Gk. notios damp, moist, nao I flow; Skt. snati bathes; M.Ir. snaim

54、 I swim; and probably also Gk. nesos island, from *na-sos, lit. that which swims). natch colloquial shortening of naturally, first recorded 1945. Nathan masc. proper name, biblical prophet, from Heb. Nathan, lit. he has given, from verb nathan, related to mattan gift. Nathaniel masc. proper name, fr

55、om L.L. Nathanael, from Gk. Nathanael, from Heb. Nethanel, lit. God has given. nation c.1300, from O.Fr. nacion, from L. nationem (nom. natio) nation, stock, race, lit. that which has been born, from natus, pp. of nasci be born (see native). Political sense has gradually taken over from racial meani

56、ng large group of people with common ancestry. Older sense preserved in application to N.Amer. Indian peoples (1650). Nationality the fact of belonging to a particular nation is from 1828. Nation-building first attested 1907 (implied in nation-builder). National is from 1597; national anthem first r

57、ecorded 1819, in Shelley. Nationalize bring under state control is from 1869. nationalist one devoted to his nation, 1715, from national in a now obsolete sense of patriotic (1711), from nation (q.v.). Nationalism in this sense first recorded 1844; earlier it was used in a theological sense of the d

58、octrine of divine election of nations (1836). native (adj.) c.1374, from O.Fr. natif (fem. native), from L. nativus innate, produced by birth, from natus, pp. of nasci, gnasci be born, related to gignere beget, from PIE base *gen-/*gn- produce (see genus). The noun is c.1450, originally meaning pers

59、on born in bondage, later (1535) person who has always lived in a place. Applied from 1652 to original inhabitants of non-European nations where Europeans hold political power; hence, used contemptuously of the locals from 1800. Nativism as a U.S. anti-immigrant movement is from 1845. nativity c.112

60、2, from O.Fr. nativit birth (12c.), from L.L. nativitatem (nom. nativitas) birth, from L. nativus born, native (see native). Late O.E. had nativite, from earlier O.Fr. nativited. NATO acronym of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was set up in 1949. natter grumble, fret, 1829, northern Englan