nun1
- 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.
Origin of nun1
nun2
- the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
- the consonant sound represented by this letter.
Origin of nun2
nūn
- the 25th letter of the Arabic alphabet.
Origin of nūn
Nun
- oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods, personifying the primordial ocean from which the world was formed; father of Ra, the sun god.
Nun River
- a major channel of the Niger River, in W Africa.
Examples from the Web for nun
Contemporary Examples
Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe is a nun of the Sacred Heart who rescues young girls from sexual slavery and rebel attacks in Uganda.
The typical habit for a nun was a, “long-sleeved tunic, reaching the floor and no décolleté, showing,” Campagnol says.
Apparently, Ryan tried bragging about how he sleeps in a cot in his office—to a nun.
These are the celebrities of the nun world, and here is their story.
She considered becoming a nun in a French abbey that was once liberated by her grandfather.
The Price of Being a Patton: Wrestling With the Legacy of America’s Most Famous GeneralTim Teeman
May 26, 2014
Historical Examples
I could see myself like the novice who had just been admitted as a nun.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
The idea of becoming a nun always haunted me, but I was no longer mystic.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
My father said something to the nun who came forward, and she took us into the parlour.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
Her bonnet was trimmed with ruches, so close together that it looked like a nun's head-gear.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
The dowry left to me by my father was ample enough for the dowry of a nun.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
nun1
- 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
Word Origin
nun2
- the 14th letter in the Hebrew alphabet (נ or, at the end of a word, ן), transliterated as n
Word Origin and History for nun
n.
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).
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.