nun
1[ nuhn ]
/ nʌn /
noun
a woman member of a religious order, especially one bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
any of various birds, especially a domestic variety of pigeon.
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Nearby words
Origin of nun
1before 900; Middle English, Old English nunne < Medieval Latin nonna, feminine of nonnus monk
Related formsnun·like, adjective
Definition for nun (2 of 5)
nun
2[ noon, noo n ]
/ nun, nʊn /
noun
the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
Origin of nun
2First recorded in 1875–80, nun is from the Hebrew word nūn literally, fish
Definition for nun (3 of 5)
nūn
[ noo n ]
/ nʊn /
noun
the 25th letter of the Arabic alphabet.
Definition for nun (4 of 5)
Nun
[ noon ]
/ nun /
noun Egyptian Religion.
oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods, personifying the primordial ocean from which the world was formed; father of Ra, the sun god.
Also Nu [noo] /nu/.
Definition for nun (5 of 5)
Nun River
[ noon ]
/ nun /
noun
a major channel of the Niger River, in W Africa.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for nun
British Dictionary definitions for nun (1 of 2)
nun
1/ (nʌn) /
noun
a female member of a religious order
(sometimes capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon usually having a black-and-white plumage with a ridged peak or cowl of short white feathers
Derived Formsnunlike, adjective
Word Origin for nun
Old English nunne, from Church Latin nonna, from Late Latin: form of address used for an elderly woman
British Dictionary definitions for nun (2 of 2)
nun
2/ (nʊn) /
noun
the 14th letter in the Hebrew alphabet (נ or, at the end of a word, ן), transliterated as n
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for nun
nun
Old English nunne "nun, vestal, pagan priestess, woman devoted to religious life under vows," from Late Latin nonna "nun, tutor," originally (along with masc. nonnus) a term of address to elderly persons, perhaps from children's speech, reminiscent of nana (cf. Sanskrit nona, Persian nana "mother," Greek nanna "aunt," Serbo-Croatian nena "mother," Italian nonna, Welsh nain "grandmother;" see nanny).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for nun
nun
A female member of a religious order, living in a convent, whose work is confined to the convent. The term is also applied broadly to other female members of religious orders (“sisters”) who often live outside their convents and work as teachers, nurses, social workers, or administrators.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.