”Bring your N” game

The 14th letter in the alphabet is “N” (pronounced en). It is the sixth” most-common letter in the English alphabet. The written form of “N” (“n”) traces its genesis to Egyptian hieroglyphics and the symbol for snake 𓆓 . N’s etymological ancestors are the Semitic letter Nun and the Greek letter Nu. N-words are especially germane to the compilation of the topic of this blog series – including as they do, nomen (meaning “name”), nomenclature (the devising or choosing of names for things) and nomenclator (lexicon; word-list; one who assigns names).

Nacket: meaning>(hist.) a ball-boy at tennis (16th. ; a pert or smart child; snack; light lunch derivation>[Obsolete Scots nacket(t) “caddie at tennis”, from MidFr naquet “valet”)] 🎾 👦🏽

Naiant: (of a fish or marine creature) swimming horizontally [L. natare (“to swim”)] fish 𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆝⋆｡˚ 𓇼

Nanoid: dwarf-like [Gk. nanos (“dwarf”) + -oid]

Napoo: to destroy; something finished, ruined, inoperative or dead [from Fr. “there is no more”; “it’s over”]

Narcoleptic: a sudden, involuntary deep sleep; pathological drowsiness [Gk. nárkē (“numbness”) + -, –lēpsia, (“seizure”)]

Naskin: prison [origin unknown] ⛓️⛓️

Nassologist: taxidermist [origin unknown]

Nasute: keen-scented; critically discerning; having a big nose [L. nasus (“nose”)] 👃🏽

Natation: the act or art of swimming [L. natare (“to swim”)] (cf. Natatorium: swimming-pool) 🏊‍♀️

Nates: the buttocks [L. natis (“buttocks”)]

Naucify: to despise; to hold in low esteem [L. naucum (“a trifling thing”)]

Naufrageous: in a state of danger or ruin; threatened [L. naufragium (“a shipwreck”) from navis (“ship”)] (cf. Naufrague: shipwrecked person)

Naumachy: mock sea battle [L. navis (“naval”) + Gk. -makhē (“a battle”; “fight”)]

Naupathia: sea sickness [Gk. naus (“ship”) + -pathos (“suffering”)]

Naupegical: of or relating to shipbuilding [Gk. naus + -pegical(?)]

Nautics: art of navigation [Gk. nautēs (“sailor”) + -ics]

Naviform: boat-shaped [L. navis (“ship”) +‎ -form] ⛵

Neanic: of, like or pertaining to the adolescent period: young [Gk. neanias (“young man”) + -ikos]

Neanimorphism: looking younger than one’s actual age [L. neanias (“young man”) + -morphic (“shape”; “form”)] (cf. Nearomatria: a young mother)

Nebbich: colourless; inconsequential person [Yiddish. nebekh (“so what”; “whatever”; “who cares?”)]

Nebulochaotic: a state of being hazy and confused [L. nebulosus (“mist”) + Gk. -khaos (“abyss”; “that which gapes wide open”; “is vast and empty”)]

Nebulist: artist whose style comprises indistinct lines [L. nebulosus + -ist]

Necrographer: obituary writer (cf. Necrologue: obituary) [Gk. nekrós (“dead body”) + –graphos]

Negaholic: habitually pessimistic [neg (from “negative”) + -aholic]

Nelipot: someone who is walking without shoes; going barefoot [dubious (?) – origin unknown] 👣

Nemophilist: one who loves the woods (cf. Nemoricolous: living in forests and groves [Gk. nemos (“grove”) + -philos (“affection”)] 🌳

Neogamist: newlywed [Gk. néos (“new”; “young”) + -gamy]

Neolagnium: puberty [Gk. néos + ?]

Neoteric: recent in origin; modern [from Gk. néos + -teric(?)]

Nephalism: 💯% abstinence from alcohol [Gk. nēphein (“to be sober”; “drink no wine”) + -ismos]

Nescience: lack of knowledge; [ne- (“not”) + -scire (“to know”)]

Nesiote: living on an island [Gk. (“of islands”)] 🏝️

Nettlesome: irritable; difficult [Old Saxon netila (?) + OE. sum (“one”; “as one, together with”)]

Neutrologistic: expressing neither praise nor disapproval [L. neutralis (“neuter”) + Gk. –logos (“speech”; “word”) +‎ -istic]

Newspaperacious: of a form or style usual in newspapers [coined 1843; first appeared in Fraser’s Magazine]

Nexility: compactness of speech [L. nexus (nectō) (“bind”) + -ity]

Nimrod: a skilful hunter [Hebrew. Nimrōḏ (from hunter-warrior biblical personage in Book of Genesis]

Nippaitaty or Nippitatum: particularly good and strong liquor, esp good good ale [origin unknown] 🍺

Niveous: snowy; white [L. niv, nix (“snow”)] ⛄️

Noctambulist: someone who walks late at night [L. nox, noct (“night”) + –ambulare (“to walk”) + -ist] (cf. Noctivagant: wandering in the night; a night-walker)

Noctidiurnal: comprising one day and one night [L. nocti (“night”) + -dies (“day”) + –urnus (denoting time)]

Noisant: harmful; troublesome; grievous [OF. nuisant (“harmful”; “hurtful”)]

Nomiatrist: a lawyer who specialises in medical cases [Gk. nomos (“law”; “arrangement”) + –iatris (“physician”; “heal or cure”; “treat”; “medical healing”)] ⚖ 🚑 ☤

Nomic: customary; conventional [Gk. nomos (“law”; “custom”) + -ic]

Nomographer: a writer of laws 📝 [Gk. nomos (“law”) + –graphos (“write”; “scribe”)]

Nonage: legal infancy; legal minority; time of immaturity [L. non + -age]

Nonparous: a woman without children; not having given birth [L. non (“not”) + –parus (“bearing”)]

Novenary: based on the number 9 [L. novenus (“nine”) + –arius (“ary”)]

Nosism: use of the Royal “We”; assumption of role of group mouthpiece [L. nos (“we”)]

Nosocomium: (hist. an ancient hospital; hospital (cf. Nosocomial: of, like or pertaining to a hospital) [Gk. nósos (“disease”; “suffering”) +‎ –koméō (“to tend”)] 🏩

Nostrum: medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness; a quack medicine or dubious remedy [L. noster (“our” or “ours”)]

Novercaphobia: an irrational fear of one’s step-mother [from L. novus (“new”) + -phobia] (cf. Novercal)

Nudiustertian: relating to the day before yesterday [L. nū̆diū̆stertiānus (“taking place the day before yesterday”) coined by Nathaniel Ward (1647)]

Nullibicity: the state of being nowhere [LateL. nullibi (“nowhere”) (from L. nullus (“null”) + -ibi (“here”; “there”) + -icity] (cf. Nullibiquitous: existing nowhere)

Nullifidian: having no faith or religion; one who is faithless [L. nullus (“null”) + -fides (“faith”) + -an)

Nulliverse: universe devoid or any plan or organising principle [L. nullus + (adapted from) universe. Coined by William James, American philosopher)]

Numinous: arousing spiritual or religious feelings; emotional; mysterious or awe-inspiring [L. numen (“nod of the head”; “divine will”) + -ous]

Numismatist: a person who collects and studies coins and paper currency [L. numisma (“coin”) + -ist] 🪙 💴

Numquid: an inquisitive person [ L. num (“whether”; “if”) + –quid (“something”)]

Nuncius: messenger (“long”; “large”) + –biota (“life”; “living”)] 🏤

Nuncle: to defraud; to deceive; to claim to be one’s uncle” [ME: modification of “mine uncle”]

Nundinal: of, like or pertaining to a fair or market [L. nundinae Nundine (market day every 9 days in Ancient Rome) + -alis -al]

Nurvill (or Nyrvyl): a little man; dwarf [poss. Norw. nurv (?)]

Nutrice: wet nurse; nurse [ L. nūtrīcem (“nurse”)] (cf. Nutricial: relating to nurses) ℝ☤ℕ

Nyctalopia: night-blindness [Gk. nyct- (“night”) + -al(aós) blind + –ōpia-opia] 🌌

Nycterent: a hunter who hunts at night; a nocturnal hunter [Gk. nycti (“night”) + -ent]