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• nona
  nona

  noun

  sleeping sickness.
• nona-
  nona-

  a combining form meaning “nine, ninth,” used in the formation of compound words.

nona

¹ American  

[noh-nuh] / ˈnoʊ nə /

noun

Pathology.

1. sleeping sickness.

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nona- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “nine, ninth,” used in the formation of compound words.

   nonagon.

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nona- British  

combining form

1. nine

   nonagon

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Usage

What does nona- mean? Nona- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “nine” or “ninth.” It is used in a number of scientific and other technical terms. In chemistry, nona- is specifically used to indicate nine atoms or nine groups of atoms in compounds, e.g., nonapeptide. Nona- comes from the Latin nōnus, meaning “ninth.” The word noon also derives from the Latin nōna hōra, the “ninth hour” from sunrise. That means 12 o’clock noon was originally 3 p.m!The Greek word for “nine” is ennéa, source of the combining form ennea-, which you can learn more about in our Words That Use article for the form. What are variants of nona-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, nona- becomes non-, as in nonyl alcohol. However, in a great many more instances, the letters non- at the beginning of a word are the prefix non-, meaning "not," as in nonabrasive or nonacademic.

Etymology

Origin of nona

< Latin nōna ( hōra ) ninth (hour); i.e., late stage in life of patient

Example Sentences

At the time work by Mr. Cattelan — later notorious for his 1999 sculpture of Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite, “La nona ora” — was selling for a few hundred dollars.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2010

Ia manawa, ua, maopopo lea i ka Makaula he Alii Nui ka mea nona keia anuenue e pio nei, a me na onohi elua i hoopuniia i na ao polohiwa apuni.

From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Beckwith, Martha Warren

Fiorenza dentro dalla cerchia antica, Ond'ella toglie ancora e terza e nona, Si stava in pace sobria e pudica.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 118, August, 1867 by Various

We may cite as an example an Italian system whose spheres were as follows:—Terra, Aqua, Aria, Fuoco, Luna, Mercurio, Venus, Sol, Marte, Giove, Saturno, Stelle fixe, Sfera nona, Cielo empyreo.

From Astronomical Myths Based on Flammarions's History of the Heavens by Blake, John F.

Nolaila, e ala ae oe, a e lawe i kau mea i hoomakaukau ai nona, e waiho aku i kau mohai imua ona, me ka hoomaikai mua me ka inoa o kou akua.

From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Beckwith, Martha Warren