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N

 - 41 dictionary results

N, n

[en]
–noun, plural N's or Ns, n's or ns.
1. the 14th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
2. any spoken sound represented by the letter N or n, as in now, dinner, son, etc.
3. something having the shape of an N.
4. a written or printed representation of the letter N or n.
5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter N or n.

'n

[uhn]
–conjunction Pronunciation Spelling.
and: Stop 'n save. Look 'n listen.
Also, 'n'.

N

1. Physics. newton; newtons.
2. north.
3. northern.

N

Symbol.
1. the 14th in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the 13th.
2. (sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 90. Compare Roman numerals.
3. Chemistry. nitrogen.
4. Biochemistry. asparagine.
5. Mathematics. an indefinite, constant whole number, esp. the degree of a quantic or an equation, or the order of a curve.
6. Chess. knight.
7. Printing. en.
8. Chemistry. Avogadro's number.
9. neutron number.

n

Symbol.
1. Physics. neutron.
2. Optics. index of refraction.

n-

Chemistry.
an abbreviated form of normal, used in the names of hydrocarbon compounds that have a normal or straight chain of carbon atoms: n-3 fatty acid.

-n

var. of -an after a vowel: Virginian.

N.

1. Nationalist.
2. Navy.
3. New.
4. Noon.
5. Chemistry. normal (strength solution).
6. Norse.
7. north.
8. northern.
9. Finance. note.
10. November.

n.

1. name.
2. born. Origin:
< L nātus
3. nephew.
4. Commerce. net.
5. neuter.
6. new.
7. nominative.
8. noon.
9. Chemistry. normal (strength solution).
10. north.
11. northern.
12. Finance. note.
13. noun.
14. number.

an

2[uhn; when stressed an]
–conjunction
1. Pronunciation Spelling. and.
2. Archaic. if.
Also, an', 'n, 'n'.


Origin:
1125–75; ME, unstressed phonetic var. of and

new⋅ton

[noot-n, nyoot-n]
–noun Physics.
the SI unit of force, equal to the force that produces an acceleration of one meter per second per second on a mass of one kilogram. Abbreviation: N

Origin:
1900–05; after I. Newton

north

[nawrth]
–noun
1. a cardinal point of the compass, lying in the plane of the meridian and to the left of a person facing the rising sun. Abbreviation: N
2. the direction in which this point lies.
3. (usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction.
4. the North, the northern area of the United States, esp. the states that fought to preserve the Union in the Civil War, lying to the north of the Ohio River, and usually including Missouri and Maryland.
5. (initial capital letter) North Country.
6. the north wind.
–adjective
7. in, toward, or facing, the north: the north gate.
8. directed or proceeding toward the north: a north course.
9. coming from the north: a north wind.
10. (usually initial capital letter) designating the northern part of a region, nation, country, etc.: North Atlantic.
–adverb
11. to, toward, or in the north: sailing north.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE, c. D noord, G Nord, ON northr
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To N
knight   (nīt)   
n.  
    1. Abbr. Knt. or Kt. A medieval tenant giving military service as a mounted man-at-arms to a feudal landholder.

    2. Abbr. Knt. or Kt. A medieval gentleman-soldier, usually high-born, raised by a sovereign to privileged military status after training as a page and squire.

    3. Abbr. K. A man holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country.

    4. A defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle.

    5. The devoted champion of a lady.

  1. Abbr. Knt. or Kt. A man belonging to an order or brotherhood.

    1. A defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle.

    2. The devoted champion of a lady.

  2. Abbr. Kt or N Games A chess piece, usually in the shape of a horse's head, that can be moved two squares along a rank and one along a file or two squares along a file and one along a rank. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces to land on an open square.

tr.v.   knight·ed, knight·ing, knights
To raise (a person) to knighthood.

[Middle English, from Old English cniht.]
knight'ly adj. & adv., knight'li·ness n.
n 1 or N   (ěn)   
n.   pl. n's or N's also ns or Ns
  1. The 14th letter of the modern English alphabet.

  2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter n.

  3. The 14th in a series.

  4. Something shaped like the letter N.

n 2  
abbr.  
  1. Grammar neuter

  2. neutron

  3. also N Chemistry normal

N 1  
The symbol for the element nitrogen.
N 2  
abbr.  
  1. Printing en

  2. knight (chess)

  3. needs improvement

  4. newton

  5. nominative

    1. north

    2. northern

neu·tron   (nōō'trŏn', nyōō'-)   
n.   Abbr. n
An electrically neutral subatomic particle in the baryon family, having a mass 1,839 times that of the electron, stable when bound in an atomic nucleus, and having a mean lifetime of approximately 1.0 × 103 seconds as a free particle. It and the proton form nearly the entire mass of atomic nuclei. See Table at subatomic particle.

[neutr(al) + -on1.]
new·ton   (nōōt'n, nyōōt'n)   
n.   Abbr. N
In the meter-kilogram-second system, the unit of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram one meter per second per second, equal to 100,000 dynes. See Table at measurement.

[After Sir Isaac Newton.]
ni·tro·gen   (nī'trə-jən)   
n.   Symbol N
A nonmetallic element that constitutes nearly four-fifths of the air by volume, occurring as a colorless, odorless, almost inert diatomic gas, N2, in various minerals and in all proteins and used in a wide variety of important manufactures, including ammonia, nitric acid, TNT, and fertilizers. Atomic number 7; atomic weight 14.0067; melting point -209.86°C; boiling point -195.8°C; valence 3, 5. See Table at element.

[French nitrogène : nitro-, nitric acid (from New Latin; see nitro-) + -gène, -gen.]
nor·mal   (nôr'məl)   
adj.  
  1. Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical: normal room temperature; one's normal weight; normal diplomatic relations.

  2. Biology Functioning or occurring in a natural way; lacking observable abnormalities or deficiencies.

  3. Abbr. n or N Chemistry

    1. Designating a solution having one gram equivalent weight of solute per liter of solution.

    2. Designating an aliphatic hydrocarbon having a straight and unbranched chain of carbon atoms.

    3. Being at right angles; perpendicular.

    4. Perpendicular to the direction of a tangent line to a curve or a tangent plane to a surface.

    5. Relating to or characterized by average intelligence or development.

    6. Free from mental illness; sane.

  4. Mathematics

    1. Being at right angles; perpendicular.

    2. Perpendicular to the direction of a tangent line to a curve or a tangent plane to a surface.

    3. Relating to or characterized by average intelligence or development.

    4. Free from mental illness; sane.

    1. Relating to or characterized by average intelligence or development.

    2. Free from mental illness; sane.

n.  
  1. Something normal; the standard: scored close to the normal.

  2. The usual or expected state, form, amount, or degree.

    1. Correspondence to a norm.

    2. An average.

  3. Mathematics A perpendicular, especially a perpendicular to a line tangent to a plane curve or to a plane tangent to a space curve.


[Middle English, from Late Latin normālis, from Latin, made according to the square, from norma, carpenter's square; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.]
nor'mal·ly adv.
north   (nôrth)   
n.  
  1. Abbr. N

    1. The direction along a meridian 90° counterclockwise from east; the direction to the left of sunrise.

    2. The cardinal point on the mariner's compass located at 0°.

    3. The northern part of the earth.

    4. The northern part of a region or country.

  2. An area or region lying in the north.

  3. often North

    1. The northern part of the earth.

    2. The northern part of a region or country.

  4. North The northern part of the United States, especially the states that fought for the Union in the Civil War.

adj.  
  1. To, toward, of, facing, or in the north.

  2. Originating in or coming from the north: a cold north wind.

adv.  In, from, or toward the north.

[Middle English, from Old English; see ner-1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

N 
in nickname, newt, and Brit. dial. naunt, the -n- belongs to a preceding indefinite article an or possessive pronoun mine. Other examples of this from M.E. manuscripts include a neilond ("an island," c.1220), a narawe ("an arrow," c.1400), a noke ("an oak," c.1420), a nappyle ("an apple," c.1420). The process also worked in surnames, from oblique cases of O.E. at "by, near," e.g. Nock/Nokes/Noaks from atten Oke "by the oak;" Nye from atten ye "near the lowland." The loss of it to a preceding a is more common: apron, auger, adder, umpire, humble pie, etc. The mathematical use of n for "an indefinite number" is first recorded 1852, in to the nth power.

north 
O.E. norð, from P.Gmc. *nurtha- (cf. O.N. norðr, O.Fris. north, M.Du. nort, Du. noord, Ger. nord), possibly ult. from PIE *ner- "left," also "below," as north is to the left when one faces the rising sun (cf. Skt. narakah "hell," Gk. enerthen "from beneath," Oscan-Umbrian nertrak "left"). The same notion underlies Ir. tuaisceart "north." The usual word for "north" in the Romance languages is ultimately from English, cf. O.Fr. north (Fr. nord), borrowed from O.E. norð; It., Sp. norte are borrowed from O.Fr. North-easter "wind blowing from the northeast" is from 1794. North American first used 1766, by Franklin. Northwest Passage first attested 1600. Northerner in U.S. geo-political sense is attested from 1831. North Sea in O.E. meant the Bristol Channel; transf. c.1290 to what had been called the "German Ocean." Northern lights "aurora borealis" first recorded 1721. North Star "Pole Star" is M.E. norþe sterre (1398, cf. M.Du. noirdstern, Ger. nordstern).

an 
indefinite article, 12c., from O.E. an (with a long vowel) "one, lone," also used as a prefix an- "single, lone;" see one for the divergence of that word from this one. Also see a, of which this is the older, fuller form. In other European languages, identity between indefinite article and the word for "one" remains explicit (e.g. Fr. un, Ger. ein, etc.) O.E. got by without indefinite articles: He was a good man in O.E. was he wæs god man. Circa 15c., a and an commonly were written as one word with the following noun, which contributed to the confusion over how such words as newt and umpire ought to be divided (see N). In Shakespeare, etc., an sometimes is a contraction of as if (a usage first attested c.1300), especially before it.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

N

A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that it is the company's third class of preferred shares.

Investopedia Commentary

Nasdaq-listed securities have four or five characters. If a fifth letter appears, it identifies the issue as other than a single issue of common stock or capital stock.

See also: Nasdaq, Preferred Stock, Stock Symbol

Also spelled: N

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Financial Dictionary

n

Used in stock transaction tables in newspapers to indicate a new stock that has been listed within the past 52 weeks. The high and low prices are for a period of less than a year: WeinR n.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: n
Pronunciation: 'en
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural n's or ns /'enz/
1 : thehaploid or gametic number of chromosomes —compare X
2 capitalized : an antigen of human blood thatshares a common genetic locus with the M antigen

Main Entry: N
Function: abbreviation
1 nasal
2 newton
3 usually italic normal (sense 4a) —used of solutions <0.1 Nhydrochloric acid>

Main Entry: N
Function: symbol
1 nitrogen —usually italicized when used as a prefix <N-allylnormorphine>
2 index of refraction

Main Entry: new·ton
Pronunciation: 'n(y)üt-&n
Function: noun
: the unit of force in the metric system equal to the force requiredto impart an acceleration of one meter per second per second to a mass of one kilogram
Newton, Sir Isaac (1642–1727), British physicist and mathematician. One of thegreatest figures in the history of science, Newton made great fundamental discoveries in mathematics and physical science including the method of fluxions (now known as differential calculus); lawsconcerning the composition of white light and the transmission of light through various media, upon which he built the foundation for the science of optics; and the law of gravitation. The newton unitof force was named in his honor in 1904.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

n 2
abbr.
refractive index

N 1

The symbol for the element nitrogen.

N 2
abbr.
newton

newton new·ton (n&oomacr;t'n, ny&oomacr;t'n)
n.
Abbr. N
In the meter-kilogram-second system, the unit of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram one meter per second per second, equal to 100,000 dynes.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
N  
  1. Abbreviation of newton

  2. The symbol for nitrogen.


Newton, Sir Isaac 1642-1727.  
English mathematician and scientist. He invented a form of calculus and formulated principles of physics that remained basically unchallenged until the work of Albert Einstein, including the law of universal gravitation, a theory of the nature of light, and three laws of motion. His treatise on gravitation, presented in Principia Mathematica (1687), was in his own account inspired by the sight of a falling apple.

Our Living Language  : The British mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton stands as one of the greatest scientists of all time. Newton spent most of his working life at Cambridge University. In 1665, the year he received his bachelor's degree, an outbreak of the bubonic plague caused Cambridge to close for two years. Newton returned to his family home in Lincolnshire and, working alone, did some of his most important scientific work. Perhaps his greatest achievement was to demonstrate that scientific principles have universal applications. His universal law of gravitation states that there is an attractive force acting between all bodies in the universe. According to the famous—and possibly true—story, he observed an apple falling from a tree and, remarkably, connected the force drawing the apple to the ground with that keeping the Moon in its orbit. Along with his law of gravitation, Newton's three laws of motion, which laid the basis for the science of mechanics, bridged the gap between scientific thinking about terrestrial and celestial dynamics. The laws are: (1) A body at rest or moving in a straight line will continue to do so unless acted upon by an external force; (2) The acceleration of a moving object is proportional to and in the same direction as the force acting on it and inversely proportional to the object's mass; and (3) For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For nearly 400 years these laws have remained unchallenged; even Einstein's Theory of Relativity is consistent with them. Newton stated his laws of motion in his 1687 masterpiece, the Principia Mathematica, in which he also introduced his formulation of the calculus (what we now call simply "calculus," a different version of which was simultaneously developed by Leibnitz). In optics, Newton demonstrated that white light contains all the colors of the spectrum and provided strong evidence that light was composed of particles.
nitrogen   (nī'trə-jən)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol N
A nonmetallic element that makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume, occurring as a colorless, odorless gas. It is a component of all proteins, making it essential for life, and it is also found in various minerals. Nitrogen is used to make ammonia, nitric acid, TNT, and fertilizers. Atomic number 7; atomic weight 14.0067; melting point -209.86°C; boiling point -195.8°C; valence 3, 5. See Periodic Table. See Note at oxygen.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

N mathematics, programming, jargon
A variable typically used to stand for a number of objects.
Used unqualified in speech it suggests a large, undetermined number, e.g. "There were N bugs in that crock!", or a number implied by context, e.g. "Let's get pizza for N + 1".
[The Jargon File]
(2006-04-18)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
n
  1. indefinite number

  2. neuter

  3. neutron

  4. new

  5. normal

  6. note

N
  1. en

  2. knight

  3. name

  4. needs improvement

  5. Newton

  6. New York Stock Exchange

  7. nitrogen

  8. no (shortwave transmission)

  9. nominative

  10. noon

  11. north

  12. northern

  13. Norway (international vehicle ID)

  14. not (shortwave transmission)

  15. noun

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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