Words Starting with N

Browse word origins and etymology

N

The fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, also used as a symbol in mathematics, science, and writing.

Névé

A field of compacted, granular snow that persists year-round and feeds a glacier.

Nāga

A serpent deity or supernatural serpent in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, also used for certain peoples and historical kingdoms of South and Southeast Asia.

Nān

A leavened, usually flat South Asian bread traditionally baked in a hot clay oven.

Nīkē

A transliteration of Ancient Greek Νίκη, the goddess and personification of victory.

Nike

Nike is the ancient Greek goddess and personification of victory.

Nīla

A term of Sanskrit origin meaning blue, dark blue, or indigo, also used in English in names and South Asian cultural contexts.

Nōgaku

A traditional Japanese performing-arts form encompassing Noh drama and kyōgen comic theater.

Nūn

Nūn is the name of the Arabic letter ن and, in Islamic tradition, one of the mysterious isolated letters opening certain Qur’anic chapters.

Na

A dialectal or informal form of “no,” used to express refusal or negation.

Naïve

Lacking experience, wisdom, or judgment; innocent or simplistic.

Nadir

The point in the sky directly beneath an observer, opposite the zenith.

Naadowesiwag

An Ojibwe plural ethnonym referring to the Dakota–Lakota–Nakota peoples, historically rendered in French and English as Sioux.

Naan

A leavened, usually flat South Asian bread traditionally baked in a hot clay oven.

Naath

A variant transliteration of Nāth, meaning “lord” or “master,” especially in reference to the Hindu Nath yogic tradition.

Nab

To seize, catch, or arrest suddenly.

Nabī

A prophet, especially a prophet in Islamic terminology.

Nabarz

A historical figure or concept relating to ancient traditions, rituals, or mythologies.

Nabi

In Islamic usage, a prophet or person believed to receive divine revelation.

Nabiru

An ancient term referring to a celestial body, often associated with the planet Nibiru in modern theories.