née
or nee
[ ney ]
/ neɪ /
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adjective
formerly known as (used following the person’s current or recognized name to introduce a previous, usually feminine, name): Jackie Kennedy Onassis, née Bouvier.
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Origin of née
First recorded in 1750–60; from French née, feminine of né (past participle of naître “to be born”), ultimately derived from Latin nātus; see origin at nascent
usage note for née
Née has long been used in English, as in French, to pair a woman’s married name with her maiden name. Since women are more likely to change their names in adulthood, the feminine-inflected form of this French word, spelled with a second letter e, is the one most widely used and recognized.
While in French a man’s original name would be noted with the masculine form né , some English speakers are only familiar with the form née. It is not uncommon to see this feminine form used for masculine names, or inanimate objects: the Tennessee Titans, née the Houston Oilers. On the other hand, because English has no gender inflection, it is normal for borrowed words to lose gender markings, so the masculine form né is also sometimes seen modifying a woman’s name: Marilyn Monroe, né Norma Jean Mortensen.
While in French a man’s original name would be noted with the masculine form né , some English speakers are only familiar with the form née. It is not uncommon to see this feminine form used for masculine names, or inanimate objects: the Tennessee Titans, née the Houston Oilers. On the other hand, because English has no gender inflection, it is normal for borrowed words to lose gender markings, so the masculine form né is also sometimes seen modifying a woman’s name: Marilyn Monroe, né Norma Jean Mortensen.
Words nearby née
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use née in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for née
née
nee
/ (neɪ) /
adjective
indicating the maiden name of a married womanMrs Bloggs née Blandish
Word Origin for née
C19: from French: past participle (fem) of naître to be born, from Latin nascī
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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