Staff N of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations:
- OE = Old English
- ME = Middle English
- SC = Scots
- WF = West Frish
- NF = North Frish
- SF = Saterlandish Frish
- WLG = West Low Theech
- ELG = East Low Theech
- NL = Netherlandish
- NHG = New High Theech
- IC = Icelandish
- HIC = High Icelandish
- NO = Nornish
- SW = Swedish
- DN = Danish
- MLG = Middle Low Theech
- MNL = Middle Netherlandish
- MHG = Middle High Theech
- OF = Old Frish
- OS = Old Saxish
- OHG = Old High Theech
- ON = Old Norse
- GO = Gottish
- PWG = Or-West-Theedish
- PG = Or-Theedish
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.
Staffs under English Wordbook/N:
Na Nb Nc Nd
Ne Nf Ng Nh
Ni Nj Nk Nl Nm Nn No Np Nq Nr Ns Nt Nu Nv
Nw Nx Ny Nz
*Note: If you click on one of the links above, and nothing happens, then that means no words have been put forth for that bookstaff as of yet.
Chancery English | Class | Anglish/English | ||
Attested | Unattested | |||
Na[] | ||||
nadir | n | depths, bottom, trough | - | |
naive | adj | craftless; self-taught | liefsome (<OE geleáfsum) | |
nano-technology | n | smart dust | kernel wield | |
narcolepsy | n | sleepsickness | - | |
narcotic | n/adj |
dope benumbing, deadening |
- | |
narrate | vb | yarn, tell | kithe (<OE cýðan), foretell | |
narration | n | telling | - | |
narrative | n | tale, yarn | kithing, backtale, foretelling (cf. NL vertellen) | |
nasal | adj | nosely | - | |
nasal bone | n | - | nosely bone | |
naseous | adj | sickly | wallow-sweet | |
natatorium | n | swimming pool, pool | soundhall (<OE sund "ability to swim, act of swimming"), | |
nation | n | folk, stock | theed/thede (<ME thẹ̄d), leedship (<OE léodscipe), folkship (<OE folcscipe), leedred (<OE lēodrǣden), folkdom; landleed (<OE landlēod) | |
national | adj | - | theedish (<ME þeodisce) | |
nationalism | n | flag-waving | haletheeding, ethelhood, theedholdness (<OE þeódenhold) | |
native | n | towner, townie | inlander (<OE inlenda), landman (<OE), orlander (see OE ōr 'origin'), lander (<OE), erd-folk; landfolk (<OE) | |
native | adj | inborn, homely, built in, inbred, ownborn | inlandish (<OE inlendisc), homelike, erd-folkish, orland, true-born, true-grown, inland | |
natural | adj |
kindly, self grouping: feather, ilk, kind |
kindful (<ME kīndeful), kindly (<OE cyndelīc), quithenly (<OE cwīðendlīc), lundish (cf. ME lund < ON lundr), selfgoing, Ikindly (<OE gecyndelīc) | |
natural logarithm | n | - | infold (for e); inroot (for ln) (synthesised from meaning) | |
natural selection | n | drain of life | - | |
naturally | n | smoothly, flowingly | - | |
nature | n | self; wilderness; greenworld; the wild; kind; being, soul; world | lund, lind (<ME lund from ON lundr); akind (<OE gecynd), umworld (cf. NHG Umwelt), wist (<OE wist); even (<ME evene, even <ON efni) | |
naturism | n | - | barelife | |
naturists | n | barefolk | - | |
nausea | n | sickness, loathing, wlate | the shifts (calque), snoffy | |
nauseous | n | sickening, loathsome, waltsome | - | |
naval | adj | - | shiply | |
navigate | vb | sail, steer, helm | lode, lithe (<ME līthen) | |
navigation | n | watercraft | - | |
navy | adj/n | fleet, shipfyrd | shipheer (<OE sciphere), fleethood | |
Ne[] | ||||
Neanderthal | n | - | Newmandale (calque of Gk nea + Gk andra + NHG Tal) | |
nebula | n | - | starcloud, heavenly cloud | |
necessary | adj | needful, needed |
daven (<OE dafen), needsakely (cf. NL noodzakelijk) needworthy (cf. NHG notwendig) | |
necessitate | vb | need, behoove (att'd in impersonal sense) | - | |
necessity | n | need | tharf (<ME), needtharf, needtharfness (<OE nīdþearfness) | |
necklace | n | neckband | meen | |
necro- | pref | dead-, death- | lich- | |
necrology | n | - | gravelore, deadlore, lichlore | |
necromancy | n | witchcraft | lichcalling, deathcalling, lichcraft | |
necrophage | n | - | licheater, deadeater | |
necrophagy | n | - | licheating, deadeating | |
necrophilia | n | - | lichlust, deadlust | |
necrophiliac | n | - | lichluster, deadluster | |
nectar | n | - | honeydew, honeyor, heaven's broth, wortsweet, bee wine | |
negate | vb | gainsay | unsay, withersay, undo, forno (cf. NHG verneinen) | |
negative | adj | naysaying, untoward, naysome (William Barnes) | mathematics: undernaught
unsay, naysome, undeed, witherwise, withwise, asakesome | |
negative charge | n | - | backward lading | |
neglect | n | seediness | - | |
neglect | vb | forget, overlook, slight, slur over | mar, foryeme (<OE forgȳman), overgum (<OE ofergumian), forheed (<OE), forhow(e) (<OE), forsit (<OE forsittan) | |
negligent | adj | heedless, reckless, careless | yeemless (<OE gīemelēas) | |
negotiate | vb | moot, chaffer, haggle | formeal (<OE formǽlan)
forhandle (calque) | |
neocortex | n | - | brain bark | |
Neolithic | n | - | New Stone Eld | |
neon | n | - | newshaft | |
neophyte | n | greenhorn, incomer, settler, newcomer | callower | |
nepenthe | n | - | unmourner | |
nephew | n | neve | sibson
fraternal: brotherson (<OE brōþorsunu) sororal: sisterson (<OE sweostorsunu); sisson | |
nerve | n | sinew; mettle, boldness, doughtiness, guts, fastness, fearlessness, firmness, pith, pluck, steadiness, steel, heart, will | concrete n: edder (<ME edre ⁊ <OE ǣdre), feelingsinew | |
nervous | adj | edgy, keyed-up, high strung, on edge |
sinewsome, sinewly | |
nervousness | n | - | edginess, sinewlith, sinewsomeness | |
neurose | n | - | sinewsweet | |
neurotransmitter | n | - | sinew sender | |
neutral | adj | unsided, sideless, middlish, in-between | naughtly | |
neutrality | n | unsidedness, fair-mindedness, evenhandedness | naughtliness
middleness | |
neutrino | n | - | neitherling | |
neutron | n | - | neitherbit, evenmote, greymote; nonething/nonestuff | |
newspaper | n | tiding(s) | - | |
New York (partially ON) | n | Gotham | New Everwich, New Everwick, New Everwigh | |
Ni[] | ||||
nice | adj | kind | - | |
nickel | n | - | nickle (phonetic calque) | |
Nickelodeon | n | - | Nickelshowbox | |
niche | n | nook | - | |
niece | n | nift | neven (<OE nefene, cf. fox and vixen)
fraternal: brotherdaughter (<OE brōþordohtor) sororal: sisterdaughter (cf. IC systurdóttir, SW systerdotter) | |
Niflheim | n(p) | - | Mistworld, Nevilworld | |
nihilism | n | - | wearning (<OE wiernan 'deny, reject') | |
Níðhöggr | n | - | Nithehewer | |
nitrogen | n | - | stickshaft, smoreshaft, stickstuff (<NHG Stickstoff), quellshaft (calque: DN kvælstof) | |
Nizhny Novgorod | n(p) | - | Nether Newton | |
Nil satis nisi optimum | pvb | Nothing but the best is good enough | - | |
No[] | ||||
nobility | n | - | atheldom (cf. NL adeldom). athele (<OE æþelu and <ME āðel) | |
noble | n/adj | highbred; best kind: gilt-edged | athel (<ME aethel, <OE æþele) | |
nocturnal | adj | nightly, night-time, night-life | - | |
nocturnal(instrument) | n | - | nightstound (<ME stound) | |
nocturne | n | - | night-swey | |
noise | n | din, clattering | low (<OE hlowan 'low, bellow, roar'), ream, reither, room (<OE) | |
noisy | adj | loud | dinsome | |
nolens volens | adv | willy-nilly | - | |
nominative (case) | adj/n | - | nemmenly (<OE nemnigendlīc; see also here), beckoningly; namefall (cf. IC nefnifall) | |
nominate | vb | call; name | clepe | |
non- | pref | un-, -less, not | - | |
non obstante | n | -notwithstanding | rightening | |
non-existent | adj | beingless | - | |
non-verbal | adj | wordless, speechless | - | |
nonsense | n | rubbish, twaddle, humbug, gammon, bollocks | unwit | |
noon (<OE) | n | midday | - | |
noose | n | - | hangknot | |
norm | n | rightline | wun (<OE gewunelic) | |
normal | adj | right | mean, wonted, wunly (<OE gewunelic) | |
nostalgia | n | - | yesterlove, yoresickness, yesteryearn, yesterlong | |
nostalgic | adj | - | yesterloving, yoresick, yesteryearning, yesterlonging, back-looking | |
notable | adj | bright, outstanding, star | breme (<OE breme) | |
notch | n/vb | slit, groove, kerf (n.), carve (vb.) | - | |
notary public | n | - | lawbooker (cf. IC lögbókandi) | |
note | n | - | log (<ON lág) | |
note, of (famous) | adj | - | namecouth (<OE namcuþ) | |
notice | vb | heed (take heed) |
heed: beaughten (calque of NHG beachten) from be- + aught + -en (see aught) remark: bemark (calque of NHG bemerken) yeme | |
noticeable | adj | striking | yemebere, heedsome | |
noting | vb | heeding | yeming | |
noun | n | nameword, headword (do not confuse with the non-grammatical definition) | name (meaning found in OE nama) | |
nourish | vb | feed, fodder | ale (<OE alan; PST: ool; PTCP: alen) | |
novel | n | talebook | - | |
novelty | n | newness, newth | - | |
November | n(p) | - | Blootmonth (<OE blōtmōnaþ), Fogmonth | |
novennium | n | - | yearnine | |
novice | n | newling, beginner, fledgeling, newcomer, freshman, greenhorn, newbie | callower | |
noxious weed | n | - | Hell weed, such as difficult to eradicate plants: african daisy, creeping knapweed, golden thistle, hardhead thistle, blackberry, boneseed | |
Nu[] | ||||
nubile | adj | wedworthy | wedsome | |
nuclear bomb | n | - | kernelblaster | |
nuclear reactor | n | - | kerneloven (cf. IC kjarnaofn), kernelkiln | |
nuclear weapon | n | - | kernelweapon | |
nucleon | n | - | pithmote | |
nucleus | n | kernel | kernling | |
nugget | n | - | lumpling
nugling (nug (of unknown origin) + ling) | |
nuisance | n | hindering, besetter, harrier, hounder, gadfly | - | |
null | adj | naught | - | |
nullify | vb | naughten, override | - | |
number | n | scoring, reckoning | tale (<ME tāle <OE talu and akin to NHG Zahl), rime (<ME rīme), atell (<ME itel), rimetell (<OE gerímtæl) | |
number | vb | mark, reckon | rime (<ME rīmen), tell (up) | |
numerator | n | - | teller (calque) | |
numerological | adj | - | rimelorely | |
numerous | adj | many | - | |
nurse | vb | care; breastfeed, suckle | plaugh, play (<PWG *plegō) | |
nurse | n | carer, caregiver | berg-maid, ward sister
child-foster (<OE cildfóstre) sicksister (Nw. sykesøster) | |
nursery | n | - | kindergrove, bairnroom, childeryard (calque of NHG Kindergarten) | |
nurture | vb | breed, rear, foster, bring up | - | |
nutritional therapist | n | - | greenmonger | |
nutritional value | n | wholesome worth, healthful worth | - | |
nutritious | adj | feeding, healthful, wholesome | - |