Nan

¹

[ nan ]

noun

1. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter N.
2. a female given name.

nan-

²

1. variant of nano- before a vowel:

   nanoid.

nan

/ næn; ˈnænə /

noun

1. a child's words for grandmother

Word History and Origins

Origin of Nan¹

see nanny ; compare Greek nanna aunt, Medieval Latin nonna old woman

Example Sentences

That said, Waters has come a long way since the picaresque adventures of Nan and Kitty.

From The Daily Beast

Families were sitting picnic-style, meals of lamb and rice on large plates, scooped up with the flat bread nan.

From The Daily Beast

On July 8, a summons was sent to Zhang alerting her to the lawsuit, and on July 11, Nan Shi lost her job.

From The Daily Beast

American photographer Nan Goldin shot the campaign; the release date has not yet been announced.

From The Daily Beast

Confronting Kennedy, Nan Richardson is said to have angrily announced: “You killed my sister.”

From The Daily Beast

Mrs. Sherwood told me yesterday that she hoped to have Nan Gerard back here for good, and Mary looked as if it were all settled.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Towne did not do much last winter, Mary said, beside run around with Naughty Nan.

From Project Gutenberg

I comforted Nan by saying that he had done the same thing before and would again.

From Project Gutenberg

Far away from here—Loch Nan and the vacant moors—my memory wandered.

From Project Gutenberg

He was here; dying here, beside the black wave of lone Loch Nan.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use nan-

What does nan- mean?

Nan– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “very small, minute.” In names of units of measure, it means “one billionth.” It is very occasionally used in scientific and technical terms.

Nan– comes from Greek nânos or nánnos, meaning “dwarf.”

What are variants of nan-?

Nan– is a variant of nano–, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use nano– article.

Examples of nan-

One example of a medical term that uses the form nan– is nanoid, meaning “dwarfish” or “abnormally small.”

The nan– part of the word means “very small,” as we have already seen. What about the –oid part of nanoid? The suffix –oid means “resembling; like.” Nanoid literally translates to “resembling something small.”

What are some words that use the combining form nan-?

• nanism (using the equivalent form of nan- in French)
• nanite
• nanobe
• nanous

What are some other forms that nan– may be commonly confused with?

• meno-
• non-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters nan-, such as nanua or nanny, is necessarily using the combining form nan– to denote “very small.” Learn why nanny means “caretaker” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The suffix –ism can denote state or conditions. With this in mind, what does nanism literally mean?