nona

¹

[ noh-nuh ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. sleeping sickness ( def 2 ).

nona-

²

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

   nonagon.

nona-

combining_form

1. nine

   nonagon

Word History and Origins

Origin of nona¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nona¹

from Latin nōnus

Example Sentences

In the 1950s, Bill also worked for Chez Ninon, a couture salon owned by the socially well-connected Nona Park and Sophie Shonnard.

From The Daily Beast

That was indeed a way out of the trouble, and therein Nona helped us with Owen, so that at last he consented.

From Project Gutenberg

And Nona had some good words and friendly to say to him, which made him hold his head higher yet after a time.

From Project Gutenberg

And so the letter ended with greetings from Howel and Nona, and many words concerning their kindness to him.

From Project Gutenberg

Not that I thought it would make any difference to Nona, but that it surely must to Howel, which was a great matter after all.

From Project Gutenberg

They were in the chests in the fore cabin where I had once been bound, and Nona knew nought of possible trouble on hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Nona-

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.

Examples of nona-

A nonagon is a polygon having nine angles and nine sides. A nonagon is also known as an enneagon.

The first part of the word, nona-, means “nine.” The -gon portion of the word may also look familiar: it is a combining form meaning “angled” or “angular,” from the Greek gōnía. Nonagon literally translates to “nine-angled.”

What are some words that use the combining form nona- or non-?

• nonagenarian (using the equivalent form of nona- in Latin)
• nonane
• nonapeptide
• nonary (using the equivalent form of nona- in Latin)
• nonic
• nonillion (using the equivalent form of non- in French)

What are some other forms that nona- may be commonly confused with?

• nano-
• nomo-
• non- (in the sense of “not”)
• normo-

Break it down!

A septuagenarian is a person in their 70s (between 70–80 years old). An octogenarian is in their 80s. A nonagenarian, then, is in their ___?