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1101 entries found
Nanking 

city in China, literally "southern capital," from Chinese nan "south" + jing "capital."

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nanny (v.)
"to be unduly protective," 1954, from nanny (n.). Related: Nannied; nannying.
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nanny (n.)

"children's nurse," 1795, from the widespread child's word for "female adult other than mother" (compare Greek nanna "aunt," and see nana). The word also is a nickname form of the fem. proper name Ann, which probably is the sense in nanny-goat "female goat" (1706, compare billy-goat). Nanny-house "brothel" is slang from c. 1700. Nanny state, in reference to overintrusive government policies is attested by 1987, the term is associated with British political leader Margaret Thatcher, who criticized the tendency. Nannyism in reference to actions or policies considered unduly protective is by 1959; also compare the verb.

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nanogram (n.)

"one-billionth of a gram," 1951, from nano- + gram.

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nanometer (n.)

also nanometre, "one-billionth of a meter," 1963, from nano- + meter (n.2).

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nanosecond (n.)

"one-billionth of a second," 1959, from nano- + second (n.).

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nanotechnology (n.)

loosely, "study and application of extremely small things" in many scientific fields, by 1974 (but not widely used before 1990s), from nano- + technology. Often applied to manipulation of individual atoms and molecules, and sometimes given a precise range (up to 100 nanometers), but the sense of nano- here seems best explained as "very small."

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Nantucket 

island off Massachusetts, early forms include Natocke, Nantican, Nautican; from an obscure southern New England Algonquian word, perhaps meaning "in the middle of waters." Its identity as a summer resort for the wealthy dates to 1950s. Related: Nantucketer.

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Naomi 
fem. proper name, biblical mother-in-law of Ruth, from Hebrew Na'omi, literally "my delight," from no'am "pleasantness, delightfulness," from stem of na'em "was pleasant, was lovely."
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nap (v.2)

"to furnish with a nap, raise the nap of," 1610s, from nap (n.1). Earlier in a now-obsolete sense of "shear or clip off the nap of" (a fabric), late 15c., noppen, from Middle Dutch. Related: Napped; napping.

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