N-Word Vocabulary Definitions
| NaDene. | phylum of Amerind languages spoken from Alaska to Mexico |
| Nagana. | often-fatal livestock disease transmitted by tse-tse fly |
| Nahuati. | includes the Aztecs |
| Nahum. | predicted fall of Babylon |
| Naiad. | aquatic nymph of mayfly; freshwater mussel; aquatic plant |
| Nainook. | light, soft cotton material with woven stripe |
| Nandin. | evergreen Asiatic shrub |
| Nankeen. | sturdy yellow or buff cotton cloth |
| Nansen bottle. | brings up deepwater samples |
| Nansen passport. | issued to stateless persons after WW1 |
| Napier's bones. | log tables |
| napiform. | turnip-shaped |
| napolean. | custard-filled, flaky, rectangular pastry; gold coin |
| nappe. | 1. Sheet of water flowing over a dam; 2. recumbent anticline mass of rock moved by anticline; 3. either of two parts into which a cone is divided by the vertex |
| nappy. | round, shallow cooking dish with flat bottom, sloping sides; infant's diaper |
| narcosynthesis. | narco-analysis directed toward unearthing repressed memories |
| nard. | spikenard; balm; medical roots |
| nargilhe. | hookah |
| narwhal.. | arctic, spotted pelt, spiral horn |
| naseberry. | sapodilla |
| nastic. | growing because of internal cell pressures rather than environmentally |
| natant. | floating or swimming in water |
| natation. | swimming |
| nates. | buttocks |
| natheless. | nonetheless |
| natrolite. | colorless zeolite |
| natron. | hydrous sodium carbonate |
| naupilus. | microscopic free-swimming larvae of certain crustaceans |
| nautch. | dance form of northern India, accompanied by musicians, &, maybe, singer |
| nautiloid. | nautiluses and fossils |
| navvy. | construction laborer |
| nawab. | governor of India under British |
| neanthropic. | members of the extant species |
| Nearctic. | near-Arctic |
| neatherd. | cowherd |
| neb. | beak of bird; nose; projecting part |
| nebbish. | weak-willed, timid person |
| necking. | molding between column and entablature |
| nectary. | gland-like organ that secretes nectar |
| negatron. | electron |
| Negrillo. | Bantus and Pygmies |
| Negus. | Emperor of Ethiopia |
| negus. | beverage of wine, hot water, lemon juice, sugar and nutmeg |
| nekton. | The total free-swimming, marine-animal population |
| nelly. | fairy |
| nematocyst. | stinging organ in coelenterates like jellyfish |
| nemertean. | brightly colored, flattened marine worms |
| nene. | Hawaiian |
| goose | |
| neocortex. | back of cortex |
| NeoDarwinism. | acquired characteristics can't be inherited |
| NeoFreudian. | emphasizes role of social and cultural influences |
| NeoGaea. | coextensive with Neotropical region (tropic of cancer south to S.A.) |
| neology. | neologism; use of a newly coined word |
| neomorph. | has not evolved from a similar structure in an ancestor |
| neon tetra. | bright fish |
| neoorthodoxy. | reactionary |
| neaoplasm. | abnormal new growth |
| neoteric. | of recent origin, modern |
| nepenthe. | legendary drug used for grief; Something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or relieves pain |
| nepheline. | mineral found in igneous rocks and used for ceramics and enamels |
| nephelinite. | pyroxene and nepheline |
| nephridium | excretory organ in many invertebrates |
| nephrite. | white to dark green jade |
| nephrosis. | degenerative lesions of the renal tubules |
| Nereid. | Sea nymph, daughter of Nereus; one of Neptune's two moons (Triton) |
| Nereus. | sea god, father of the Nereids |
| neritic. | pertaining to the waters of a shoreline |
| nervure. | one of the vascular ridges that form the framework of a leaf |
| nescience. | ignorance |
| Nesselrode. | mixture of chestnuts, cherries, candied fruits and liqueur used in puddings, ice cream and pies |
| Nestor. | known for age and wisdom: venerable and wise old man |
| Nestorian. | asserts that Christ had two natures: divine and Christian |
| netsuke. | small Japanese toggle, decorated with inlays or carving, used to fasten purse to kimono |
| nettle rash. | urticaria |
| Neufchafel. | soft white cheese |
| neume. | sign used in the notation of plainsong surviving in Gregorian chants |
| neurilemma. | outer covering of a nerve fiber |
| neuroglia. | network of branched cells and fibers that supports the CNS tissue |
| neutrophil. | easily stained. Leukocytes |
| nevus. | congenital growth or birthmark |
| Newburg. | rich sauce of cream, egg yolks, butter, wine & nutmeg. Lobster Newburg |
| newel. | banister post |
| Newgate. | famous prison in London, demolished in 1901 |
| newspeak. | ambiguous and contradictory language (George Orwell) |
| newt. | salamander |
| Nibbelung. | subterranean dwarfs whose riches and magic ring were taken by Siegfried; one of the Burgundian kings in the Nibbelungenlied |
| Nibbelungenlied. | epic 13th C. poem |
| niblick. | nine iron |
| niccolite. | nickel ore |
| nice nelly. | priggish; marked by use of euphemisms |
| nickleodeon. | early movie theater (cost a nickel) |
| nicker. | to neigh softly |
| nicotiana. | flowering tobacco plants |
| nictitate. | To wink. |
| niddering. | cowardly wretch |
| nide. | A nest or brood of pheasants. |
| nidify. | To build a nest |
| nidus. | a nest, particularly for insects or spiders; cavity where spores develop; seat of bacterial growth in a living organism |
| niello. | black copper, silver, or lead sulfides used for decorative inlays |
| Nilihelm. | the realm of the dead in Norse mythology |
| niggling. | fussy, nagging, petty |
| nigresence. | process of becoming dark or black; blackness as of complexion |
| nigorsine. | blue to black dyes for inks, wood and textiles |
| nihil obstat. | official Catholic approval of art or a book. (No obstacle?) |
| Nilotic. | pertaining to the Nile Valley; group of people and languages |
| nim. | steal, pilfer |
| nimiety. | excess, redundancy |
| nimimy-piminy. | affectedly delicate or refined |
| ninon. | sheer fabric of silk, rayon or nylon |
| nipa. | large Australasian palm; alcoholic beverage made from its sap |
| nipplewort. | milky juice thought to cure breast tumors |
| nip-up. | spring from supine to standing position |
| Nisan. | first month of Hebrew religious year |
| Nisei. | Japanese-American |
| nisi. | taking effect at a specified date unless cause is shown otherwise |
| nissen hut. | prefabricated hemicircular corrugated huts |
| nisus. | an effort to realize an aim |
| nit. | egg of parasitic insect (louse); one candle/meter2 |
| niter. | KNO3 mineral used in making gunpowder |
| nits-and-lice. | plant |
| nival. | growing under snow |
| niveous. | snowy |
| nix. | water sprite: half-human, half fish |
| nixie. | mis-addressed piece of mail |
| Nizam. | former rulers of Hyderabad |
| Noh. | classical drama of Japan, highly stylized with elaborately dressed actors |
| nob. | the head |
| nobble. | to drug a racehorse |
| nobby. | fashionable, stylish |
| noblesse oblige. | obligation to be genteel |
| nocent. | causing injury, harmful (innocent) |
| noctambulism. | somnambulism |
| noctiluca. | bioluminescent marine organisms |
| noctuid. | night-flying moth |
| noctule. | large, reddish-brown bat found in Eurasia |
| nocturn. | any of the three canonical divisions of the matin |
| nocuous. | harmful, noxious (innocuous) |
| nodding pogonia. | North American orchid |
| noddle. | the head |
| noddy. | a dunce or fool, simpleton; tropical tern |
| nodus. | difficult situation, complication |
| noesis. | the cognitive process |
| noetic. | of, pertaining to, originating in, or apprehended by the intellect |
| nog. | 1. Eggnog 2. a wooden block built into masonry walls to hold nails that support joinery |
| noggin. | 1. ¼ pint (½ gill). 2. A cup that size. 3. The head. |
| noil. | short fibers combed from long fibers during textile preparation |
| noli metangere. | Warning or prohibition against meddling, touching or interfering |
| noli prosequi. | declaration that plaintiff or prosecutor will drop all or part of a suit or indict |
| nolo. | nolo contendre (admission of guilt) |
| nol pros. | dropping charges by submitting noli prosequi |
| nombril. | the point on an escutcheon between the fess point and the base point |
| nom de guerre. | fictitious name |
| nonce word. | word invented or used just for the occasion |
| nondisjunction. | failure of paired chromosomes to separate during mitosis |
| nonego. | all that is not a part of the ego or conscious self |
| nonesuch. | person or thing without equal (sui generis) |
| nonfeasance. | failure to perform an act that is an official duty or legal requirement |
| nonjoinder. | omission of a party that would have been included as part of a suit |
| non obstante. | notwithstanding |
| non possumus. | A statement indicating inability to do a particular thing |
| non prosequiter. | the judgement rendered against a plaintiff who fails to appear in court to prosecute his suit |
| nonpros. | to enter a judgement of non prosequiter against a plaintiff |
| nonsked. | a nonscheduled airline or cargo plane |
| non troppo. | in moderation (adagio non troppo) |
| noodle. | stupid person; the head |
| noodle. | to improvise music in an idle and haphazard way |
| nopar. | without face value. Having no par value |
| noria. | water wheel with buckets attached |
| norite. | a gabbro |
| normoblast. | immature red blood cell |
| Norn. | one of the three Norse Fates |
| Northern spy. | large, yellowish-red apple |
| northing. | progress toward the north |
| Norway rat. | the common brown rat |
| no-see-um. | the punkie |
| nosh. | a tidbit, snack |
| nosography. | systemization and description of diseases |
| nosology. | medical branch that deals with classification of diseases |
| nostoc. | Algae forming a blue-green jelly |
| notabene. | used to attract attention to something important |
| note of hand. | promissory note |
| notornias. | Rare, flightless, New Zealand bird |
| noumenon. | object of purely intellectual intuition. A thing in itself, independent of sensory or intellectual perception |
| nouvelle cuisine. | low-fat French cooking |
| nouvelle vague. | New Wave |
| novaculite. | very hard, dense, silica-based stone used in grindstones (buhrstone) |
| novena. | prayer for nine days |
| novercal. | pertaining to a stepmother |
| nub. | small lump; essence or core |
| nubbin. | imperfectly developed |
| nubble. | small protuberance or lump |
| necellus. | the center of the rudimentary seed of a plant containing the embryo sac |
| nucha. | nape of the neck |
| nucleophile. | donates electrons |
| nudibranch. | sea slug |
| nudnik. | dense, boring, or bothersome persons |
| nugatory. | of little or no importance (minim), trifling; without force |
| nullah. | a ravine or gully |
| numen. | a presiding spirit or divinity |
| nummular. | coin-shaped, oval or circular |
| numulite. | marine protozoan with coin-shaped shell |
| Nunc DiMittis. | canticle of Simeon "Nunc dimitis… (now lettest Thy servant depart") |
| nunciature. | office or term of office of a nuncio |
| noncupative. | oral rather than written will |
| nutria. | the coypu |
| nux vomica. | source of strychnine and brucine. |
| nyctatopia. | night blindness |
| nyictitropism. | tendency of some leaves to change their positions at night |
| nymphalid. | butterflies |
| nymphet. | sexually desirable pubescent girl |
| nympholepsy. | frenzy thought to have been induced by nymphs |
| nympholept. | one in state of nympholepsy |
| Nynorsk. | Landsmäl (Spoken Norwegian). |
| nystgmus. | Involuntary saccadic eye motions. |