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nef

American  
[nef] / nɛf /

noun

  1. a silver or gold table furnishing in the form of a ship, either for holding various utensils or for ornament.


Etymology

Origin of nef

1680–90; < French: ship < Latin nāvis. See nave

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Even at royal feasts, the only ornament on the table was a nef, a vessel made to hold salt.

From Slate • May 5, 2015

At the very least, the nef gene offers an attractive target for drug developers.

From Time Magazine Archive

In fact, the virus is missing so much of this particular gene--known as nef, for negative factor--that it is hard to imagine how the gene could perform any useful function.

From Time Magazine Archive

Could HIV itself, stripped of nef and adjacent sections of genetic material, provide the basis for such a vaccine, as Deacon and his colleagues cautiously suggest?

From Time Magazine Archive

Si print nef Messires Marcs et se partist en nageant vers la terre ferme.

From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Yule, Henry