nun en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- nŭn
- /nʌn/
- /nʊn/ (Ireland, Northern-England)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From Middle English nonne, nunne, from Old English nunne (“nun”), from Late Latin nonna (“nun, tutor”), originally (along with masculine form nonnus (“man”)) a term of address for elderly persons, perhaps from children's speech, reminiscent of nana, like papa etc. Doublet of nonna.
Meanings
-
A member of a Christian religious community of women who live by certain vows and usually wear a habit, (Roman Catholicism, specifically) those living together in a cloister.
Thus, when the nuns came to the mission and we saw that instead of murmuring soft blessings and gliding seraphically over the grass in diaphanous habits, they wore smart blouses and skirts and walked, laughed and talked in low twanging tones very much like our own American missionaries did, we were very disappointed.
1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, Faber & Faber Limited (2021), page 258:
-
(broadly) A member of a similar female community in other confessions.
a Buddhist nun
-
(UK, archaic, slang) A prostitute.
Why laſt night, as Colonel Kill'em, Sir William Weezy, Lord Frederick Foretop, and I were careleſsly ſliding the Ranelagh round, picking our teeth, after a damn'd muzzy dinner at Boodle's, who ſhould trip by but an abbeſs, well known about town, with a ſmart little nun in her ſuite.
1770, Samuel Foote, The Lame Lover, a Comedy in Three Acts. […], London: […] Paul Vaillant; and sold by P[eter] Elmsly […]; and Robinson and Roberts, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 12:"I mean to inform you," answered the Oxonian, with a grin on his face, "that those three nymphs, who have so much dazzled your optics, are three nuns, and the plump female is Mother .... of great notoriety [...]"
1881, Pierce Egan, chapter 8, in Life in London, page 205:
- A kind of pigeon with the feathers on its head like the hood of a nun.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| nuns | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
monk · frater · brother · friar
Deriveds
nunlet · nunly · nunship · nunhood · nunnation · nunsploitation · nunnish · nunnery · nunate · nun-coloured · dry as a nun's cunt · nun buoy · Nun of the Visitation · nunless · nunlike · nunbird · corporate nun · nunation · dry as a nun's nasty · nun moth · unnun · nun-like · nun's thread · Nun Monkton
Hyponyms
Relateds
Covent Garden nun (prostitute) · abbot (prostitute) · nonnus (member of a religious community) · abbess (prostitute)
Synonyms
hooker · prozzie · Paphian · mutton · wapping dell · loose woman · prostitute · gay lady · trug · prostitutor · woman of ill repute · woman of ill fame · moll · floozie · public woman · brasser · sister · prossie · tib · wapping moll · prostie · daughter of joy · painted lady · lady of the game · gill · treddle · meat puppet · nymph of the pavé · sex labourer · Haymarket ware · succubus · lady of leisure · quail · blowsabella · escort · callet · blowen · woman of the night · hoe · puella publica · strumpet · hackney · Covent Garden nun · mermaid · bargirl · pug · woman of easy virtue · tweak · slapper · wapping mort · gamester · commoner · wench · soiled dove · tom · musk cat · cockatrice · party girl · trull · stew · dollymop · chromo · Fulham virgin · lady of pleasure · scrubber · pucelle · comfort woman · bat · thot · lady of light virtue · lady of the night · doxy · pro skirt · geebag · harlot · put · cat · wanton · broad · croshabell · flap · mudkicker · mud-kicker · frail sister · Japayuki-san · slit · 'ho · GRO · puta · ribibe · quean · fornicatrix · mot · fille de joie · slut · slag · gillian · moniale · alley cat · jay · pimpette · cocotte · Dutch widow · almah · tawaif · prosty · pro · nymph of darkness · pavement princess · girl of the game · street taco · drab · creature of the night · brass · sodomitess · karayuki-san · girl rented overnight · coaster · sistren · prossy · hoer · beotch · lightskirt · Bankside lady · comfort girl · laced mutton · stem siren · whore · trick turner · prozzy · vice girl · pretty horsebreaker · working girl · woman of the street · cloistress · hook · chippy · thotty · hustler · skivvy · business girl · perdita · abandons · nun · minx · quene · blouze · mud kicker · sex worker · mort wap-apace · nymph of the pavement · mob · bangtail · skainsmate · hireling · lady of the evening · good-time girl · priestess of Venus · calico queen · brass nail · woman of the town · tart · trollop · pross · punk · quiff · pussygirl
Translations (155)
sl nuna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · el μοναχή (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ur راہِبَہ (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ja 童貞 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · da nonne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ko 비구니 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sk rehoľníčka (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ka მონაზონი (member of a Christian religious community of women) · tl madre (member of a Christian religious community of women) · la nonna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hi तपस्विनी (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · ja 尼 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · lv mūķene (member of a Christian religious community of women) · mk калуѓерка (member of a Christian religious community of women) · it monaca (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · km ជី (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · cmn 尼姑 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ga bean rialta (member of a Christian religious community of women) · is nunna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · es monja (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pl mniszka (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pl siostra (member of a Christian religious community of women) · uk мона́шка (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sh часна сестра (member of a Christian religious community of women) · cs řeholnice (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ko 수녀 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sh časna sestra (member of a Christian religious community of women) · nl (klooster-, slot-)zuster (member of a Christian religious community of women) · cmn 修女 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · bg калу́герка (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hi भक्तिन (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pt monja (member of a Christian religious community of women) · cs mniška (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · ka მონაზონი (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · sms manaših (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vi nữ tu sĩ (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · el καλόγρια (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ug راھىبە (member of a Christian religious community of women) · eo monaĥino (member of a Christian religious community of women) · et nunn (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vo jikleudan (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vi bà xơ (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hy միանձնուհի (member of a Christian religious community of women) · be мана́шка (member of a Christian religious community of women) · my ဘိက္ခုနီ (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · pl mniszka (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · uz rohiba (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ast monxa (member of a Christian religious community of women) · th แม่ชี (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sk mníška (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fi nunna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fr nonne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ru мона́хиня (member of a Christian religious community of women) · gd bean-chràbhaidh (member of a Christian religious community of women) · bo ཨ་ནི (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · sh калуђерица (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fr bonne sœur (member of a Christian religious community of women) · cmn 尼 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · he נְזִירָה (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pt freira (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ta துறவி (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · th ชี (member of a Christian religious community of women) · uz monashka (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ms rahib perempuan (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sh редовница (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fr nonnain (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hu nővér (member of a Christian religious community of women) · gl monxa (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sl redovnica (member of a Christian religious community of women) · xto aśi (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · az rahibə (member of a Christian religious community of women) · my သီလရှင် (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · tr rahibe (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ang nunne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fr religieuse (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vi ni (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · vi nữ tu (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sq murgeshë (member of a Christian religious community of women) · bg монахи́ня (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pl siostra zakonna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · id biarawati (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sv nunna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · th ชี (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · sh redovnica (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hi मठवासिनी (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · ja 尼僧 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ta துறவி (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fo nunna (member of a Christian religious community of women) · it suora (member of a Christian religious community of women) · af non (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · ug راھىبە (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · cs jeptiška (member of a Christian religious community of women) · dsb mnichowka (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ur نَن (member of a Christian religious community of women) · prs رَاهِبَه (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pt madre (member of a Christian religious community of women) · eu moja (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pl zakonnica (member of a Christian religious community of women) · uk черни́ця (member of a Christian religious community of women) · lb Nonn (member of a Christian religious community of women) · mn гэлэнмаа (member of a Christian religious community of women) · es religiosa (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vi xơ (member of a Christian religious community of women) · th แม่ชี (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · nn nonne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · myv ськамонава (member of a Christian religious community of women) · cy lleian (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ro călugăriță (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vo kleudan (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vi nữ tu sĩ (member of a Christian religious community of women) · gl monxa (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · ky монахиня (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fa-ira راهِبِه (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sw sista (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sh монахиња (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hi मठवासिनी (member of a Christian religious community of women) · mh bōjin (member of a Christian religious community of women) · fr moniale (member of a Christian religious community of women) · cmn 姑子 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · mi none (member of a Christian religious community of women) · nb nonne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · nl non (member of a Christian religious community of women) · os моладзан (member of a Christian religious community of women) · vo hikleudan (member of a Christian religious community of women) · el μοναχή (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · it monaca (member of a Christian religious community of women) · hu apáca (member of a Christian religious community of women) · gl freira (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ar رَاهِبَة (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ca monja (member of a Christian religious community of women) · bo བཙུན་མ (member of a Christian religious community of women) · mn гэлэнмаа (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · tg роҳиба (member of a Christian religious community of women) · id suster (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sh kaluđerica (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ru мона́шка (member of a Christian religious community of women) · gd cailleach dhubh (member of a Christian religious community of women) · tdt madre (member of a Christian religious community of women) · de Nonne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · de Schwester (member of a Christian religious community of women) · eo monaĥino (member of a non-Christian religious community of women) · gl madre (member of a Christian religious community of women) · de Klosterschwester (member of a Christian religious community of women) · la monacha (member of a Christian religious community of women) · nrf nonne (member of a Christian religious community of women) · de Ordensschwester (member of a Christian religious community of women) · af non (member of a Christian religious community of women) · lt vienuolė (member of a Christian religious community of women) · uk мона́хиня (member of a Christian religious community of women) · wym nunn (member of a Christian religious community of women) · pt religiosa (member of a Christian religious community of women) · ja 修道女 (member of a Christian religious community of women) · sh monahinja (member of a Christian religious community of women) · gl touquinegra (member of a Christian religious community of women) · nan-hbl 尼姑 (member of a non-Christian religious community of women)