NUN
nun
(noun) the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet
nun
(noun) a woman religious
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Proper noun
Nun
(very, rare) A male given name from Hebrew
Etymology 2
Proper noun
Nun
The languages of the Bamun people of western Cameroon.
Etymology 1
Noun
nun (plural nuns)
A member of a Christian religious community of women who live by certain vows and usually wear a habit, (Roman Catholicism, specifically) those living together in a cloister.
Synonyms: sister, moniale, sistren
Antonyms: brother, friar, monk, frater
(by extension) A member of a similar female community in other confessions.
(archaic, British, slang) A prostitute.
Synonym: Thesaurus:prostitute
A kind of pigeon with the feathers on its head like the hood of a nun.
Usage notes
In Roman Catholicism, a distinction is often drawn (especially by members of female religious orders) between nuns and sisters, the former being cloistered and devoted primarily to prayer, the latter being more active, doing work such as operating hospitals, caring for the poor, or teaching.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from the letter’s name in the respective language.
Noun
nun (plural nuns)
The fourteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
Source: Wiktionary
Nun, n. Etym: [OE. nunne, AS. nunne, fr. L. nonna nun, nonnus monk; cf. Gr. Nunnery.]
1. A woman devoted to a religious life, who lives in a convent, under the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They holy time is quiet as a nun Breathless with adoration. Wordsworth.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) A white variety of domestic pigeons having a veil of feathers covering the head. (b) The smew. (c) The European blue titmouse. Gray nuns (R. C. Ch.), the members of a religious order established in Montreal in 1745, whence branches were introduced into the United States in 1853; -- so called from the color or their robe, and known in religion as Sisters of Charity of Montreal.
– Nun buoy. See under Buoy.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Word of the Day
17 November 2024
MONASTICISM
(noun) asceticism as a form of religious life; usually conducted in a community under a common rule and characterized by celibacy and poverty and obedience
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