nan
/næn/ noun, proper noun
Forms nans
- noun (obsolete) Synonym of maid: a servant girl.
- noun (slang, obsolete) Synonym of nancy: an effeminate male homosexual.
- noun (UK, endearing) Synonym of nursemaid.
- noun (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, endearing) Synonym of grandmother. “We had my nan over for Christmas dinner.”
- noun (World War II era, joint US/RAF) radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter N.
- proper noun A diminutive of the female given name Ann and Nancy.
- proper noun A province of Thailand.
- proper noun The capital of Nan Province, Thailand.
- noun NMDA antagonist neurotoxicity.
Synonyms
maid nancy nursemaid grandmother November grandma granny grannie gran nanna Nan River naan
Etymology
From Nan, pet form of the formerly very common female given names Anne and Agnes. As a nursemaid and grandmother, a clipping of earlier nana, from nanny under the probable influence of mama, also from Nan. Compare Mary.
See at naan.
Borrowed from Thai น่าน (nâan).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [For anan.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “nan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details