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nan

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "nan"

Translingual

Etymology

From Mandarin 閩南語／闽南语 (mǐnnányǔ, “Southern Min language”).

Symbol

nan

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Min Nan.

English

Etymology 1

From Nan, pet form of the formerly very common female given names Anne and Agnes. As a nursemaid and grandmother, a clipping of earlier nana, from nanny under the probable influence of mama, also from Nan. Compare Mary.

Pronunciation

Noun

nan (plural nans)

  1. (obsolete) Synonym of maid: a servant girl. [1599]
  2. (slang, obsolete) Synonym of nancy: an effeminate male homosexual. [1670]
  3. (UK, endearing) Synonym of nursemaid. [1940]
  4. (British, Ireland, Australia, Canada, endearing) Synonym of grandmother. [1955]
    We had my nan over for Christmas dinner.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See at naan.

Pronunciation

Noun

nan (plural nans)

  1. Alternative spelling of naan
    • 2002, Desmond Barry, A Bloody Good Friday, page 157:
      Gerry ordered poppadoms and parathas and then he was interrupted by requests for vindaloos, chicken madrases and sag joshes, rice, raita and nan, from Priest, Morgan and Maria Grazia.

Anagrams

Acehnese

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ŋajan.

Noun

nan

  1. name (word or phrase indicating a particular person, place, class or thing)

References

Akan

Noun

nan

  1. leg
    Me nan ahono
    My leg is swollen

Further reading

Bikol Central

Alternative forms

Etymology

Compare Waray-Waray ngan.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

nan (Basahan spelling ᜈᜈ᜔)

  1. (Sorsogon) and
    Synonyms: asin, saka, buda, at, sagkod, pagkan

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nānus, from Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos).

Pronunciation

Adjective

nan (feminine nana, masculine plural nans, feminine plural nanes)

  1. (relational) dwarf

Derived terms

Noun

nan m (plural nans, feminine nana)

  1. (mythology) dwarf (a member of a race from folklore)
  2. dwarf (a person of short stature, usually as the result of a genetic condition)
  3. (folklore) in Catalan celebrations, someone who wears a large papier-mâché head

Derived terms

Further reading

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

From Latin nōn.

Interjection

nan (ORB, broad)

  1. no
    Antonym: ouè

References

  • non in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
  • nan in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

French

Pronunciation

Adverb

nan

  1. Informal spelling of non ; nah, nope
    Antonym: voui

Fula

Particle

nan

  1. marks the preterite tense

References

Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

Article

nan

  1. the (definite article)

Usage notes

This word is used only when the preceding word is singular and ends with a nasal consonant.

See also

Preposition

nan

  1. in
    • 2019 March 19, “Rankont ann Itali ant Anvwaye Espesyal Etazini ak Larisi sou Kriz Venezuela a”, in Lavwadlamerik‎[1]:
      Anvwaye espesyal Etazini pou Venezuela, Elliot Abrams, ak vis-minis afè etranjè Larisi, Sergei Ryabkov, ap fè reyinyon nan vil Wòm ann Itali pou yo pale sou “sityasyon Venezuela kap agrave.”
      American Special Envoy for Venezuela Elliot Abrams and Russian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Ryabkov are having a meeting in the city of Rome, Italy to speak about "the worsening situation in Venezuela."

Japanese

Romanization

nan

  1. Rōmaji transcription of なん

Linngithigh

Pronoun

nan

  1. we (but not you) (first-person non-singular exclusive nominative pronoun)

See also

Linngithigh personal pronouns
Person Number (and clusivity) Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative
First Singular ayong ninh thom thon
Dual inclusive linggay linh linam lingg
Non-singular exclusive nan nanh nanam nangg
Plural inclusive puy punh punam pungg
Second Singular tru nanh kom kon
Dual poy ponh ponam pongg
Plural irae iraenh iraenam iraengg
Third Singular lu ngonh ngom ngon
Dual lawuy lawunh/lanh lawunam lawungg
Plural 'ar 'anh 'anam 'angg

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to Italian nano, ultimately from Greek νᾶνος.

Noun

nan

  1. dwarf

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

Noun

nan m anim (diminutive nancycko)

  1. father
    Synonym: wóśc (literary)

Declension

Declension of nan
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative nan nana nany
Genitive nana nanowu nanow
Dative nanoju nanoma nanam
Accusative nana nanowu nany, nanow
Instrumental nanom nanoma nanami
Locative nanje nanoma nanach

Coordinate terms

Further reading

  • Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928) “nan”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
  • Starosta, Manfred (1999) “nan”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag

Makolkol

Noun

nan

  1. mother

Further reading

Malecite-Passamaquoddy

Malecite-Passamaquoddy numbers (edit)
50
 ←  4 5 6  → 
    Cardinal: nan
    Ordinal: nanewey
    Adverbial: nanokehs
    Adnominal: nanuwok, nanonul

Etymology

From Proto-Algonquian *nya·θanwi.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnan/, [ˈnan˧˦]

Numeral

nan (initial root nan-)

  1. five (in counting)

References

Mandarin

Romanization

nan

  1. Nonstandard spelling of nān.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of nán.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of nǎn.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of nàn.

Usage notes

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Northern Kurdish

Etymology 1

Akin to Persian نان (nân), See there for more.

Pronunciation

Noun

nan m

  1. bread
  2. food
    Synonym: xwarin
Declension
Declension of nan
Definite masculine gender
Case Singular Plural
Nominative nan nan
Construct nanê nanên
Oblique nanî nanan
Demonstrative oblique wî nanî wan nanan
Vocative nano nanino
Indefinite masculine gender
Case Singular Plural
Nominative nanek nanin
Construct nanekî nanine
Oblique nanekî naninan

Etymology 2

Verb

nan

  1. to put in, to set, to place
  2. to fuck, to copulate, to have sex with (with tê, lit. "to put in")

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz, equivalent to ne (“not”) +‎ ān (“one”).

Pronunciation

Determiner

nān

  1. no; not a, not one, not any
    nān mann
    no one (literally "no person")
    nān þing
    nothing
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Assumption of St. John the Apostle"
      Iohannes þa gegaderode ðæra gymstana bricas, and beseah to heofonum, þus cweðende, "Drihten Hælend, nis ðe nān ðing earfoðe; þu ge-edstaðelodest ðisne tobrocenan middangeard on þinum geleaffullum, þurh tácen þære halgan rode; ge-edstaðela nu þas deorwurðan gymstanas, ðurh ðinra engla handa, þæt ðas nytenan menn þine mihta oncnāwon, and on þe gelyfon."
      John then gathered the fragments of the jewels, and looked to heaven, thus saying, "Lord Jesus, to thee nothing is difficult; thou didst restore this crushed world for thy faithful, through sign of the holy rood; restore now these precious gems, by thy angels' hands, that these ignorant men may acknowledge thy powers, and in thee believe."
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Assumption of St. John the Apostle"
      Iohannes þa bead ðreora daga fæsten gemænelice; and he æfter ðam fæstene wearð swa miclum mid Godes gaste afylled, þæt he ealle Godes englas, and ealle gesceafta, mid heahlicum mode oferstáh, and mid ðysum wordum þa godspellican gesetnysse ongan, "In principio erat uerbum, et uerbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat uerbum, et reliqua:" þæt is on Englisc, "On frymðe wæs word, and þæt word wæs mid Gode, and þæt word wæs God; þis wæs on frymðe mid Gode; ealle ðing sind þurh hine geworhte, and nis nān þing būton him gesceapen."
      John then ordered a general fast of three days; and after the fast he was so greatly filled with the spirit of God, that he excelled all God's angels and all creatures with his exalted mind, and began the evangelical memorial with these words, "In principio erat verbum," etc., that is in English, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God; this was in the beginning with God; all things are made through him, and without him nothing is created.".
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Assumption of St. John the Apostle"
      Nu wæs se bigleofa gemett on Iohannes byrgene, and nān ðing elles; and se mete is weaxende on hire oð ðisne andweardan dæg.
      Now this food was found in the grave of John, and nothing else, and the meat is growing in it to this present day.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Clement the Martyr"
      Wēn is þæt ēower sum cweðe to him sylfum on stillum geðohtum, Hwæt forlēton has ġebroðru, Petrus and Andreas, þe for nēan nān ðing næfdon? ac wē sceolon on þisum ðinge heora gewilnunge swīðor āsmēaġan þonne heora ġestreon.
      It is to be expected that one of you in his still thoughts say to himself, What did the brothers, Peter and Andrew, leave, who had almost nothing? but in this case we should rather consider their desire than their possession.
    • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
      Þæt word willan næfþ nān bebēodendlīċ, for þon þe sē willa sċeal bēon ǣfre frī.
      The word 'to want' has no imperative, because the will must always be free.

Pronoun

nān

  1. no one, nobody; none
    Ūre nān ne mæġ tōweardnesse forecweðan.
    None of us can predict the future.

Declension

Declension of nān
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative nān nān nān
Accusative nānne, nǣnne nāne nān
Genitive nānes nānre nānes
Dative nānum nānre nānum
Instrumental nāne nānre nāne
Plural
Nominative nāne
Accusative nāne
Genitive nānra
Dative nānum
Instrumental nānum

Descendants

  • Middle English: noon

Old Frisian

Pronunciation

Determiner

nān

  1. Alternative form of nēn

Pronoun

nān

  1. Alternative form of nēn

References

  • Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Papiamentu

Etymology

The third person plural pronoun nan (“they”) and the overall plural noun suffix -nan are unique for Papiamentu and cannot be found in any other language. According to Clements and Parkvall the pronoun nan and its derived suffix -nan were introduced into the language just in the 1700s because of the grown need for a plural marking. Apparently before the introduction the need for a plural marking was not felt. Just like in other South American languages the suffix originated in the form "kas-nan" literally "house-they" (ac Lenz).

Compare the Curripaco Arawak suffix -na and the Dutch suffix -en.

Searches are being undertaken to find the African connections with the words "iran", "ene", "na", "nan", "inen" and "ane" in the languages Bini, Kwa, Anabonese, Bantu, Kimbundu, Angolar, Fa d'Ambu, Edo and Saotome in the African countries of Sao Tomé, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria (see Bartens and Schuchardt). All very improbably.

Pronoun

nan

  1. they, third person plural
  2. their

See also

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nanus.

Noun

nan m (plural nani)

  1. dwarf

Declension

singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative nan nanul nani nanii
genitive-dative nan nanului nani nanilor
vocative nanule nanilor

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Old Irish dïa n- (“if, when”) with irregular change of initial d- to n-. Cognate with Irish dá (“if”).

Conjunction

nan

  1. if (subjunctive)
    Nan robh mi beartach, b'urrainn dhomh taigh mór a cheannach.
    If I were rich, I could buy a mansion.
  2. whether (subjunctive)
    Bhiodh gràdh agam air fhathast nan robh e beartach neo bochd.
    I would still love him whether he were rich or poor.
Usage notes
  • Before words beginning with b, f, m or p, the form nam is used instead.
  • Only used in the conditional tense, otherwise ma is used.
  • The negative form is mura.

References

Etymology 2

Univerbation of an (“in”) +‎ an (“their”).

Preposition

nan (+ dative, triggers eclipsis of a vowel)

  1. in their
    Bha iad nan cadal. ― They were sleeping. (literally, “They were in their sleep.”)
Inflection
Possessive declension of an
Singular Plural
First person namL narN
Second person nadL nurN
Third person m naL nanN, namN 1)
Third person f naH
L Triggers lenition; H Triggers H-prothesis; N Triggers eclipsis; 1) Used before b-, f-, m- or p-

Etymology 3

Article

nan

  1. inflection of an (“the”):
    1. genitive plural preceding a consonant (excluding b-, f-, m-, p-)
    2. genitive plural preceding a vowel
Declension
Variation of nan (definite article)
Masculine Feminine Plural
nom. dat. gen. nom. dat. gen. nom. dat. gen.
+ f- am anL anL na na nam
+ m-, p- or b- am a'L a'L na na nam
+ c- or g- an a'L a'L na na nan
+ sV-, sl-, sn- or sr- an anT anT na na nan
+ other consonant an an an na na nan
+ vowel anT an an naH naH nan
L Triggers lenition; H Triggers H-prothesis; T Triggers T-prothesis

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish نان (nan), from Persian نان (nân).

Noun

nan (definite accusative nanı, plural nanlar) (archaic)

  1. bread
  2. food

References

  • Avery, Robert et al., editors (2013), The Redhouse Dictionary Turkish/Ottoman English, 21st edition, Istanbul: Sev Yayıncılık, →ISBN

Upper Sorbian

Upper Sorbian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia hsb

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnan/
  • Rhymes: -an
  • Hyphenation: nan
  • Syllabification: nan

Noun

nan m pers

  1. father (man who fathered one or more children)
    Synonyms: papa, rodźićel

Declension

Declension of nan (masculine hard stem)
singular dual plural
nominative nan nanaj nanojo
genitive nana nanow nanow
dative nanej nanomaj nanam
accusative nana nanow nanow
instrumental nanom nanomaj nanami
locative nanu, nanje nanomaj nanach
vocative nano nanaj nanojo

References

  • “nan” in Soblex

Vietnamese

Etymology

According to Ferlus (2009), from *t-rn-aːɲ, with nominalizer -rn- infixed into Proto-Vietic *taːɲ (whence đan (“to weave”)).

Formationally indentical but independently developed are Khmu [Rook] tʰrnaːɲ ("material used for weaving") (Suwilai, 2002) and Proto-West-Bahnaric *trnaːɲ ("thread"), whence Nyaheun nnaːɲ ("thread").

Pronunciation

Noun

(classifier sợi) nan

  1. bamboo tape (for basketwork); bamboo slat (of a paper fan)

Wolof

Adverb

nan

  1. (interrogative) how

See also

Zazaki

Alternative forms

Etymology

Akin to Persian نان (nân, “bread”), see there for more.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈnɑn]
  • Hyphenation: nan

Noun

nan

  1. bread
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