英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

nemoral [nemoral 词源字典]: "Of, relating to, or characteristic of groves or woods; living in or frequenting groves or woods", Mid 17th cent.; earliest use found in Thomas Blount (1618–1679), antiquary and lexicographer. From classical Latin nemorālis belonging to a wood or forest, frequenting woodland from nemor-, nemus wood (cognate with ancient Greek νέμος wood, Gaulish nemeton holy place (probably originally holy grove), Early Irish nemed holy place) + -ālis.[nemoral etymology, nemoral origin, 英语词源]
non-significant: "Not significant", Early 17th cent.; earliest use found in Samuel Harsnett (d. 1631), archbishop of York. From non- + significant.
nocturia: "The condition of being aroused from sleep abnormally frequently by the need to urinate", Early 20th cent.; earliest use found in William Dorland (1864–1956). From nocti- + -uria.
nacarat: "A bright orange-red colour", Mid 18th century: from French, perhaps from Spanish and Portuguese nacarado 'orange-red in colour' (referring to the colour of the shell of the mollusc that yields mother-of-pearl), from nacar 'nacre'.
nainsook: "A fine, soft cotton fabric, originally from South Asia", Late 18th century: from Hindi nainsukh, from nain 'eye' + sukh 'pleasure'.
noyade: "An execution carried out by drowning", Early 19th century (referring especially to a mass execution by drowning, carried out in France in 1794): from French, literally 'drowning', from the verb noyer, from Latin necare 'kill without use of a weapon', later 'drown'.
nugacity: "Triviality or frivolity", Late 16th century: from late Latin nugacitas, from Latin nugax, nugac- 'trifling, frivolous'.
nymphet: "An attractive and sexually mature young girl", 1950s: from nymph + -et¹. More Lolita from mid 20th century:In Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita ( 1958), Humbert Humbert, a man in his late 30s, becomes sexually obsessed with Dolores Haze, a 12-year-old girl whom he dubs Lolita, a pet form of Dolores. The book's disturbing subject matter created a scandal when it was published in the USA, but it gave the world two words for ‘a sexually precocious young girl’, Lolita itself and nymphet.
nostomania: "Extreme homesickness, formerly regarded as a type of insanity", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in John Forbes (1787–1861), physician and medical journalist. From modern Greek νοστομανία from ancient Greek νόστος return home + Hellenistic Greek -μανία.
nocent: "Guilty; criminal", Late Middle English; earliest use found in Osbern Bokenham (c1393–c1464), poet and Augustinian friar. From Middle French nocent, adjective and noun or its etymon classical Latin nocent-, nocēns injurious, guilty, guilty person, uses as adjective and noun of present participle of nocēre to hurt, injure. Compare Italian †nocente, adjective.
nocebo: "A detrimental effect on health produced by psychological or psychosomatic factors such as negative expectations of treatment or prognosis", 1960s: from Latin, literally 'I shall cause harm', from nocere 'to harm', on the pattern of placebo.
neuston: "Small aquatic organisms inhabiting the surface layer or moving on the surface film", Early 20th century: via German from Greek, neuter of neustos 'swimming', on the pattern of plankton.
nectarial: "Of the nature of a nectary; of or relating to a nectary", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in Asiatick Researches. From nectary + -al; compare -ial.
noological: "Of or relating to noology", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), philosopher, jurist, and reformer. From ancient Greek νόος nous + -logical. Compare noology, nooscopic (also earliest in Bentham).
nilly-willy: "= willy-nilly", Mid 19th cent. Alteration or variant of willy-nilly.
non-durable: "That is not durable; that does not last", Late 19th cent. From non- + durable.
nullibiquitous: "Existing nowhere", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in The Examiner. From post-classical Latin nullibi nowhere + -biquitous.
nucha: "The nape of the neck. Also: the rear part of the head, or part of the body immediately behind the head (in a vertebrate or invertebrate animal)", Late Middle English; earliest use found in John Trevisa (c1342–?1402), translator. From post-classical Latin nucha spinal cord, nape of the neck from Arabic nuḵāʿ spinal marrow, confused with nuqra nape of the neck. Compare Old French nuche, Middle French, French nuque, Italian nuca spinal cord, nape of the neck, Spanish nuca spinal cord, nape of the neck, Portuguese nuca.
nemophilist: "A person who loves or is fond of woods or forests", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in The Atlantic Monthly. From ancient Greek νέμος wooded pasture, glade + -philist.
nannofossil: "The fossil of a minute planktonic organism, especially a calcareous unicellular alga", 1960s: from nannoplankton (variant of nanoplankton) + fossil.