英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

Naderism (n.)[Naderism 词源字典]: 1969, in reference to the methods of U.S. lawyer and consumer advocate Ralph Nader (b.1934) + -ism.[Naderism etymology, Naderism origin, 英语词源]
nadir (n.): late 14c., in astronomical sense, from Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, literally "opposite direction," from nazir "opposite" + as-samt "road, path" (see zenith). Transferred sense of "lowest point (of anything)" is first recorded 1793.
nae: northern England and Scottish variant of no.
naeve (n.): "spot, blemish," 1610s, from Latin naevus "mole, birthmark, wart," from *gnaevus "birthmark," literally "born in."
naff (v.): British slang word with varied uses, not all certainly connected; see Partridge, who lists three noun uses: 1. "female pudenda" (c. 1845), which might be back-slang from fan, shortening of fanny (in the British sense); 2. "nothing," in prostitutes' slang from c. 1940; 3. a euphemism for fuck (v.) in oaths, imprecations, expletives (as in naff off), 1959, "making it slightly less obvious than eff" [Partridge]; and an adjective naff "vulgar, common, despicable," said to have been used in 1960s British gay slang for "unlovely" and thence adopted into the slangs of the theater and the armed forces.
NAFTA: acronym for North American Free Trade Agreement, negotiated from 1991, signed Dec. 17, 1992, implemented 1994.
nag (v.): "annoy by scolding," 1828, originally a dialectal word meaning "to gnaw" (1825), probably ultimately from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse gnaga "to complain," literally "to bite, gnaw," dialectal Swedish and Norwegian nagga "to gnaw"), from Proto-Germanic *gnagan, related to Old English gnagan "to gnaw" (see gnaw). Related: Nagged; nagger; nagging.
nag (n.): "old horse," c. 1400, nagge "small riding horse," of unknown origin, perhaps related to Dutch negge, neg (but these are more recent than the English word), perhaps related in either case to imitative neigh. Term of abuse is a transferred sense, first recorded 1590s.
naga (n.): in Hindu mythology, race of serpent demons, offspring of Kaduru, guardians of the under-regions; 1785, from Sanskrit naga "serpent, snake," of unknown origin.
Nagasaki: Japanese city, named for its situation, from naga "long" + saki "headland, promontory."
nah: 1920, reflecting a drawn-out American English pronunciation of no.
Nahuatl: 1822, from Spanish, from Nahuatl (Aztecan) Nahuatl, the people's name, "something that makes an agreeable sound; someone who speaks well or speaks one's own language." As a language name, usually in the compound form nahuatlahotol-li.
naiad (n.): "water nymph," c. 1600, from Latin Nais, Naias (genitive naiadis), from Greek Naias (plural Naiades) "river nymph," from naiein "to flow," from PIE *naw-yo-, suffixed form of root *(s)nau- "to swim, flow, let flow" (see nutriment). Dryden used the Latin singular form Nais, and the plural Naiades is attested in English from late 14c.
naif (adj.): 1590s, from French naïf, literally "naive" (see naive). As a noun, first attested 1893, from French, where Old French naif also meant "native inhabitant; simpleton, natural fool."
nail (n.): Old English negel "metal pin," nægl "fingernail (handnægl), toenail," from Proto-Germanic *naglaz (cognates: Old Norse nagl "fingernail," nagli "metal nail;" Old Saxon and Old High German nagel, Old Frisian neil, Middle Dutch naghel, Dutch nagel, German Nagel "fingernail, small metal spike"), from PIE root *(o)nogh "nail" (cognates: Greek onyx "claw, fingernail;" Latin unguis "nail, claw;" Old Church Slavonic noga "foot," noguti "nail, claw;" Lithuanian naga "hoof," nagutis "fingernail;" Old Irish ingen, Old Welsh eguin "nail, claw").

The "fingernail" sense seems to be the original one. Nail polish attested from 1891. To bite one's nails as a sign of anxiety is attested from 1570s. Nail-biting is from 1805. Hard as nails is from 1828. To hit the nail on the head "say or do just the right thing" is first recorded 1520s. Phrase on the nail "on the spot, exactly" is from 1590s, of obscure origin; OED says it is not even certain it belongs to this sense of nail.
nail (v.): Old English næglian "to fasten with nails," from Proto-Germanic *ganaglijan (cognates: Old Saxon neglian, Old Norse negla, Old High German negilen, German nageln, Gothic ganagljan "to nail"), from the root of nail (n.). Related: Nailed; nailing. Meaning "to catch, seize" is first recorded 1766, probably from earlier sense "to keep fixed in a certain position" (1610s). Meaning "to succeed in hitting" is from 1886. To nail down "to fix down with nails" is from 1660s.
nailery (n.): "workshop where nails are made," 1798, from nail (n.) + -ery.
naissance (n.): "birth, origin," late 15c., from Middle French naissance "birth, parentage, place of origin" (12c.), present participle of naître, from Gallo-Roman *nascere, from Latin nasci "be born" (see genus).
naissant (adj.): 1570s, from French naissant, present participle of naître (see naissance).
naive (adj.): 1650s, "natural, simple, artless," from French naïve, fem. of naïf, from Old French naif "naive, natural, genuine; just born; foolish, innocent; unspoiled, unworked" (13c.), from Latin nativus "not artificial," also "native, rustic," literally "born, innate, natural" (see native (adj.)). Related: Naively.