Noun
/naʊn/noun
A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea.
Did you know?The term 'noun' comes from Latin 'nomen', which not only means 'name' but was often used to invoke the essence of a thing in ancient rituals.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁nómn̥
“a name or something that is named, a fundamental concept in language.”
Latin
Latin
nomen
“name, often used in contexts of identity and power.”
Old French
Old French
nom
“name, indicating a person’s identity or status.”
Middle English
Middle English
noun
“a term derived from Latin, signifying a word that denotes an entity.”
Modern English
English
noun
“a grammatical category representing persons, places, things, or ideas.”
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