N, n
[en]
| 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
| 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
n-
| 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. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| n 2 abbr.
|
| N 1 The symbol for the element nitrogen. |
| N 2 abbr.
|
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.] |
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N
N\ ([e^]n), the fourteenth letter of English alphabet, is a vocal consonent, and, in allusion to its mode of formation, is called the dentinasal or linguanasal consonent. Its commoner sound is that heard in ran, done; but when immediately followed in the same word by the sound of g hard or k (as in single, sink, conquer), it usually represents the same sound as the digraph ng in sing, bring, etc. This is a simple but related sound, and is called the gutturo-nasal consonent. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 243-246. Note: The letter N came into English through the Latin and Greek from the Ph[oe]nician, which probably derived it from the Egyptian as the ultimate origin. It is etymologically most closely related to M. See M.N
N\, n. (Print.) A measure of space equal to half an M (or em); an en.Cite This Source
N
/N/ quant.1. A large and indeterminate number of objects: "There were N bugs in that crock!" Also used in its original sense of a variable name: "This crock has N bugs, as N goes to infinity." (The true number of bugs is always at least N + 1; see Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology.)
2. A variable whose value is inherited from the current context. For example, when a meal is being ordered at a restaurant, N may be understood to mean however many people there are at the table. From the remark "We'd like to order N wonton soups and a family dinner for N - 1" you can deduce that one person at the table wants to eat only soup, even though you don't know how many people there are (see great-wall).
3. `Nth': adj. The ordinal counterpart of N, senses 1 and
2. "Now for the Nth and last time..." In the specific context "Nth-year grad student", N is generally assumed to be at least 4, and is usually 5 or more (see tenured graduate student). See also random numbers, two-to-the-N.
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N
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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
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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.
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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
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n 2
abbr.
refractive index
N 1
The symbol for the element nitrogen.
N 2
abbr.
newton
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N
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| 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. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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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)
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n
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N
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