now
/naʊ/ adjective, adverb, conjunction, interjection, noun
Forms now! nows noo
- adjective Present; current.
- adjective (informal) Fashionable; popular; up to date; current. “I think this band's sound is very now.”
- adverb At the present time. “Now I am six.”
- adverb (sentential) Used to introduce a point, a qualification of what has previously been said, a remonstration or a rebuke. “Now, we all want what is best for our children.”
- adverb Differently from the immediate past; differently from a more remote past or a possible future; differently from all other times. “Now I am ready.”
- adverb At the time reached within a narration. “Now he remembered why he had come.”
- adverb Used to indicate a context of urgency. “Now listen, we must do something about this.”
- adverb (informal) At the present point of a recurring cycle or event. “I always used to do my shopping now, to avoid the rush.”
- adverb (obsolete, as but now) Very recently; not long ago; up to the present.
- adverb (usually emphasized) Used to address a switching side, or sharp change in attitude from before. “Now, you want to protect me. An hour ago, you were mercilessly bullying me!”
- conjunction (often with that) Since, because, in light of the fact. “Now all the children have grown up and left, the house is very quiet.”
- interjection Indicates a signal to begin. “Now! Fire all we've got while the enemy is in reach!”
- noun (uncountable) The present time. “Now is the right time.”
- noun (often with the) The state of not paying attention to the future or the past. “She is living in the now.”
- noun (countable, chiefly in phenomenology) A particular instant in time, as perceived at that instant.
Synonyms
here and now as-is present nowadays today at present immediately instantly straightaway straight off directly right away at once forthwith like a shot
Etymology
From Middle English nou, nu, from Old English nū, from Proto-West Germanic *nū, from Proto-Germanic *nu (“now”), from Proto-Indo-European *nū (“now”). Doublet of nu ("well?").
Cognate with Scots noo, nou, now (“now”), Yola neow, now, nowe (“now”), North Frisian nü (“now”), West Frisian no (“now”), Dutch nu, nou (“now”), German nu, nun (“now”), Limburgish noe, Nuu (“now”), Danish and Swedish nu (“now”), Elfdalian nų (“now”), Faroese nú, núgv (“now”), Icelandic nú, núna (“now”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk no, nu, nå (“now”), Gothic 𐌽𐌿 (nu, “now”); also Gaulish nu (“now”), Latin num (“now”), Greek νυν (nyn, “currently, now”), Albanian ni, tani (“now”), Bulgarian ни́не (níne, “currently, now”), Czech nyní (“now”), Old Polish ninie (“now”), Russian но́не (nóne), ны́не (nýne, “now, today”), Ukrainian ни́ні (nýni, “nowadays; today”), Avestan 𐬥𐬏 (nū, “currently, now”), Baluchi نون (nún, “now”), Persian اکنون (aknun / aknūn), کنون (konun), نون (nun / nūn, “now”), Northern Kurdish ana, anaka, anêka, aniha, anika, naga, naha, naka, niha, niho, nika, noke, ئانا (ana), نکا (nka, “now”), Ossetian ныр (nyr, “now”), Hittite 𒆠𒉡𒌦 (ki-nu-un, “now”), Luwian 𒈾𒀀𒉡𒌦 (nānun, “now”), Tocharian A nuṃ (“again, once more”), Tocharian B nano (“again, once more”), Sanskrit नु (nu, “now”).
See know.
Webster’s 1913
- adverb At the present time; at this moment; at the time of speaking; instantly; as, I will write now. I have a patient now living, at an advanced age, who discharged blood from his lungs thirty years ago. Arbuthnot.
- adverb Very lately; not long ago. They that but now, for honor and for plate, Made the sea blush with blood, resign their hate. Waller.
- adjective Existing at the present time; present. [R.] "Our now happiness." Glanvill.
- noun The present time or moment; the present.
Etymology [OE. nou, nu, AS. nu, nu; akin to D., OS., & OHG. nu, G. nu, nun, Icel., nu, Dan., Sw., & Goth. nu, L. nunc, Gr. nu, nu. *193. Cf. New.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “now”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details