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• nun
  nun

  noun

  a woman member of a religious order, especially one bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
• nūn
  nūn

  noun

  the 25th letter of the Arabic alphabet.
• Nun
  Nun

  noun

  oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods, personifying the primordial ocean from which the world was formed; father of Ra, the sun god.

nun

¹ American  

[nuhn] / nʌn /

noun

1. a woman member of a religious order, especially one bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

2. any of various birds, especially a domestic variety of pigeon.

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nun ² American  

[noon, noon] / nun, nʊn /

noun

1. the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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nūn ³ American  

[noon] / nʊn /

noun

1. the 25th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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Nun ⁴ American  

[noon] / nun /

Also Nu

noun

Egyptian Religion.

1. oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods, personifying the primordial ocean from which the world was formed; father of Ra, the sun god.

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nun ¹ British  

/ nʌn /

noun

1. a female member of a religious order

2. (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

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nun ² British  

/ nʊn /

noun

1. the 14th letter in the Hebrew alphabet (נ or, at the end of a word, ן), transliterated as n

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nun Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• nunlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of nun¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English nunne < Medieval Latin nonna, feminine of nonnus monk

Origin of nun²

First recorded in 1875–80, nun is from the Hebrew word nūn literally, fish

Origin of nūn³

From Arabic; see origin at nun ², nu ¹

Explanation

A nun is a woman who's dedicated her life to religious observance. Most nuns spend their time praying or meditating and doing service work in their communities. You may picture a Catholic nun when you hear the word nun, but there are nuns of other faiths as well, including Hindus, Lutherans, Jains, and Buddhists. Nuns serve the poor and hungry, sometimes running schools or orphanages, and they have in common a strict dedication to religion. Nun comes from the Old English nunne, and the Late Latin nonna, "nun," originally a generic word for addressing an older person.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nun Nun

Ethel Caterham, who lives at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, took on the mantle in April 2025 after the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas at the age of 116.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The nun recovered from her head injuries and the perpetrator was quickly detained, but victims and rights groups say most incidents, which are usually nonviolent, go unpunished.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

I was nuts about Pawlikowski’s 2013 “Ida,” about a young nun on a destructive road trip through her family’s history, and 2018’s “Cold War,” a tumultuous romance between two artists in a time of propaganda.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

Since her death, Sr Clare's family have had navigate their own private grief, while also watching as her profile as a nun and potential saint gains global recognition.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

“You’re slouching, P.K. That’s better. Now what is your question?” the nun asked.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

For 22-year-old Seerat Hafiz, known online as Yikvot or Nun Chai with Jiya, satire and humour are her tools of choice.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025

Michael Chaves, who directed the spinoff “The Nun II” and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” has mostly upheld these requirements, though his approach is more bombastic than Wan’s elegant style.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025

The fantasy series gave Waddingham her first major screen role, as Septa Unella, better known as the Shame Nun, joining in season five.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2024

But times have certainly changed, as the film barely placed second behind “The Nun 2,” a horror movie that earned $8.4 million in its first week.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2023

Were the rumors true that he had walked on water against the Nacogdoches Dragons and had simply flown across the field like the Flying Nun against the Texarkana Tigers?

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• sister