nano

¹

[ nan-oh, ney-noh ]

noun

1. Informal. nanotechnology.

nano-

²

1. a combining form with the meaning “very small, minute,” used in the formation of compound words ( nanoplankton ); in the names of units of measure it has the specific sense “one billionth” (10 -9 ):

   nanomole; nanosecond.

nano-

combining_form

1. denoting 10 ^–9 n

   nanosecond

2. indicating extreme smallness

   nanoplankton

nano–

1. A prefix that means:
2. Very small or at a microscopic level, as in nanotube. In this sense, this prefix is sometimes spelled nanno–, as in nannoplankton.
3. One billionth, as in nanosecond, one billionth of a second.

nano-

1. A prefix meaning one billionth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nano¹

By shortening

Origin of nano²

Combining form representing Greek nânos, nánnos dwarf

Word History and Origins

Origin of nano¹

from Latin nānus dwarf, from Greek nanos

Example Sentences

Some of those decisions paid off, while others - including a failed telecom venture and the Nano, which was billed as the world's cheapest car but flopped - lost money.

From BBC

While the Tata Group made significant strides overseas in the early 2000s, domestically the failure of the Tata Nano – launched and marketed as the world’s cheapest car – was a setback for Tata.

From BBC

He believed there could be a resurrection of his product, but the Tata Nano was eventually discontinued after sales plummeted year on year.

From BBC

Tata later said it was a "huge mistake to brand Nano as the world's cheapest car. People don't want to be seen driving the world's cheapest car!"

From BBC

In 2022, a video of him travelling in a Nano car - one of the world's cheapest cars, now mostly remembered as one of Tata's failed dreams - went viral on social media.

From BBC

Words That Use nano-

What does nano- mean?

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

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

What are variants of nano-?

In some rare instances, nano– is spelled with a double -n-, becoming nanno-, as in nannofossil.

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, nano– becomes nan-, as in nanoid. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use nan– article.

Examples of nano-

An example of a word you may have encountered that features nano– is nanosecond, “one billionth of a second.”

The form nano– generally means “very small, minute,” but because a second is a unit of measure (of time), here nano– means “one billionth.” Nanosecond literally means “one billionth of a second.”

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

• nanobot
• nanodot
• nanogram
• nanomole
• nanoplankton
• nanotube

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

• meno-
• non-

Break it down!

A gram is a unit of weight or mass. With this in mind, what is a nanogram?