network
network: n. & v. --n.
1 an arrangement of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines, like the structure of a net.
2 a complex system of railways, roads, canals, etc.
3 a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experience for professional or social purposes.
4 a chain of interconnected computers, machines, or operations.
5 a system of connected electrical conductors.
6 a group of broadcasting stations connected for a simultaneous broadcast of a programme. --v.
1 tr. broadcast on a network.
2 intr. establish a network.
3 tr. link (machines, esp. computers) to operate interactively.
4 intr. be a member of a network (see sens.
3 of n.).
negligence
negligence: n.
1 a a lack of proper care and attention; carelessness. b an act of carelessness.
2 Law = contributory negligence.
3 Art freedom from restraint or artificiality. negligent adj. negligently adv. [ME f. OF negligence or L negligentia f. negligere = neglegere: see NEGLECT]
numerous
numerous: adj.
1 (with pl.) great in number (received numerous gifts).
2 consisting of many (a numerous family). numerously adv. numerousness n. [L numerosus (as NUMBER)]
nacelle
nacelle: n.
1 the outer casing of the engine of an aircraft.
2 the car of an airship. [F, f. LL navicella dimin. of L navis ship]
natation
natation: n. formal or literary the act or art of swimming. [L natatio f. natare swim]
nirvana
nirvana: n. (in Buddhism) perfect bliss and release from karma, attained by the extinction of individuality. [Skr. nirvana f. nirva be extinguished f. nis out + va- to blow]
newfoundland
Newfoundland: n. (in full Newfoundland dog.
1 a dog of a very large breed with a thick coarse coat.
2 this breed. [the name of a Canadian province, an island at the mouth of the St Lawrence river]
namesake
namesake: n. a person or thing having the same name as another (was her aunt's namesake). [prob. f. phr. for the name's sake]
native
native: n. & adj. --n.
1 a (usu. foll. by of) a person born in a specified place, or whose parents are domiciled in that place at the time of the birth (a native of Bristol). b a local inhabitant.
2 often offens. a a member of a non-White indigenous people, as regarded by the colonial settlers. b S.Afr. a Black person.
3 (usu. foll. by of) an indigenous animal or plant.
4 an oyster reared in British waters, esp. in artificial beds (a Whitstable native).
5 Austral. a White person born in Australia. --adj.
1 (usu. foll. by to) belonging to a person or thing by nature; inherent; innate (spoke with the facility native to him).
2 of one's birth or birthplace (native dress; native country).
3 belonging to one by right of birth.
4 (usu. foll. by to) belonging to a specified place (the anteater is native to S. America).
5 a (esp. of a non-European) indigenous; born in a place. b of the natives of a place (native customs).
6 unadorned; simple; artless.
7 Geol. (of metal etc.) found in a pure or uncombined state.
8 Austral. & NZ resembling an animal or plant familiar elsewhere (native rabbit). go native (of a settler) adopt the local way of life, esp. in a non-European country. native bear Austral. & NZ = KOALA. native rock rock in its original place. natively adv. nativeness n. [ME (earlier as adj.) f. OF natif -ive or L nativus f. nasci nat- be born]
nutrition
nutrition: n.
1 a the process of providing or receiving nourishing substances. b food, nourishment.
2 the study of nutrients and nutrition. nutritional adj. [F nutrition or LL nutritio (as NUTRIENT)]
nipple
nipple: n.
1 a small projection in which the mammary ducts of either sex of mammals terminate and from which in females milk is secreted for the young.
2 the teat of a feeding-bottle.
3 a device like a nipple in function, e.g. the tip of a grease-gun.
4 a nipple-like protuberance.
5 US a short section of pipe with a screw-thread at each end for coupling. [16th c., also neble, nible, perh. dimin. f. neb]
navigator
navigator: n.
1 a person skilled or engaged in navigation.
2 an explorer by sea. [L (as NAVIGATE)]
notary
notary: n. (pl. -ies) (in full notary public) a person authorized to perform certain legal formalities, esp. to draw up or certify contracts, deeds, etc. notarial adj. notarially adv. [ME f. L notarius secretary (as NOTE)]
nanna
nanna: var. of NAN.
neglect
neglect: v. & n. --v.tr.
1 fail to care for or to do; be remiss about (neglected their duty; neglected his children).
2 (foll. by verbal noun, or to + infin.) fail; overlook or forget the need to (neglected to inform them; neglected telling them).
3 not pay attention to; disregard (neglected the obvious warning). --n.
1 lack of caring; negligence (the house suffered from neglect).
2 a the act of neglecting. b the state of being neglected (the house fell into neglect).
3 (usu. foll. by of) disregard. neglectful adj. neglectfully adv. neglectfulness n. [L neglegere neglect- f. neg- not + legere choose, pick up]
napoleon
napoleon: n.
1 hist. a gold twenty-franc piece minted in the reign of Napoleon I.
2 hist. a 19th-c. high boot.
3 = NAP(3).
4 US = MILLEFEUILLE. double napoleon hist. a forty-franc piece. [F napolon f. Napolon, name of 19th-c. French emperors]
napalm
napalm: n. & v. --n.
1 a thickening agent produced from naphthenic acid, other fatty acids, and aluminium.
2 a jellied petrol made from this, used in incendiary bombs. --v.tr. attack with napalm bombs. [NAPHTHENIC + palmitic acid in coconut oil]
nucleus
nucleus: n. (pl. nuclei.
1 a the central part or thing round which others are collected. b the kernel of an aggregate or mass.
2 an initial part meant to receive additions.
3 Astron. the solid part of a comet's head.
4 Physics the positively charged central core of an atom that contains most of its mass.
5 Biol. a large dense organelle of eukaryotic cells, containing the genetic material.
6 a discrete mass of grey matter in the central nervous system. [L, = kernel, inner part, dimin. of nux nucis nut]
naphtha
naphtha: n. an inflammable oil obtained by the dry distillation of organic substances such as coal, shale, or petroleum. [L f. Gk, = inflammable volatile liquid issuing from the earth, of Oriental origin]
nuclear
nuclear: adj.
1 of, relating to, or constituting a nucleus.
2 using nuclear energy (nuclear reactor).
3 having nuclear weapons. nuclear bomb a bomb involving the release of energy by nuclear fission or fusion or both. nuclear disarmament the gradual or total reduction by a State of its nuclear weapons. nuclear energy energy obtained by nuclear fission or fusion. nuclear family a couple and their children, regarded as a basic social unit. nuclear fission a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy. nuclear force a strong attractive force between nucleons in the atomic nucleus that holds the nucleus together. nuclear-free free from nuclear weapons, power, etc. nuclear fuel a substance that will sustain a fission chain reaction so that it can be used as a source of nuclear energy. nuclear fusion a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy. nuclear magnetic resonance the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by a nucleus having a magnetic moment when in an external magnetic field, used mainly as an analytical technique and in body imaging for diagnosis. Abbr.: NMR, nmr. nuclear physics the physics of atomic nuclei and their interactions, esp. in the generation of nuclear energy. nuclear powe.
1 electric or motive power generated by a nuclear reactor.
2 a country that has nuclear weapons. nuclear reactor a device in which a nuclear fission chain reaction is sustained and controlled in order to produce energy. nuclear umbrella supposed protection afforded by an alliance with a country possessing nuclear weapons. nuclear warfare warfare in which nuclear weapons are used. nuclear waste any radioactive waste material from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. nuclear winter obstruction of sunlight as a potential result of nuclear warfare, causing extreme cold. [NUCLEUS + -AR(1)]
notorious
notorious: adj. well known, esp. unfavourably (a notorious criminal; notorious for its climate). notoriety n. notoriously adv. [med.L notorius f. L notus (as NOTION)]
nation
nation: n.
1 a community of people of mainly common descent, history, language, etc., forming a State or inhabiting a territory.
2 a tribe or confederation of tribes of N. American Indians. law of nations Law international law. nationhood n. [ME f. OF f. L natio -onis f. nasci nat- be born]
narcissus
narcissus: n. (pl. narcissi or narcissuses) any bulbous plant of the genus Narcissus, esp. N. poeticus bearing a heavily scented single flower with an undivided corona edged with crimson and yellow. [L f. Gk narkissos, perh. f. narke numbness, with ref. to its narcotic effects]
neuralgia
neuralgia: n. an intense intermittent pain along the course of a nerve, esp. in the head or face. neuralgic adj. [as NEURAL + -ALGIA]
narceine
narceine: n. a narcotic alkaloid obtained from opium. [F narcine f. Gk narke numbness]
nitrogen
nitrogen: n. Chem. a colourless tasteless odourless gaseous element that forms four-fifths of the atmosphere and is an essential constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. Symb.: N. nitrogen cycle the interconversion of nitrogen and its compounds, usu. in the form of nitrates, in nature. nitrogen fixation a chemical process in which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds in living organisms and hence into the nitrogen cycle. nitrogenous adj. [F nitrogne (as NITRO-, -GEN)]
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