nun

1 of 2

noun (1)

: a woman belonging to a religious order
especially : one under solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience
nunlike adjective

nun

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet see Alphabet Table

Examples of nun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Some moved into the building’s basement, which a group of elderly Catholic nuns had occupied until the pandemic forced them to make a hasty exit, leaving behind crucifixes and religious robes. Anna Cooban, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025 The following day, nuns arrived and took us to an orphanage in Kraków. Danuta Hamlin, Fox News, 25 Jan. 2025 The movie recounts the story of the von Trapp family, and the novice nun Maria who serves as governess of the seven children, and later (spoiler alert) marries their father only to have to flee the Nazi regime following the annexation of Austria. Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025 The nuns led prayer groups as the buses went out every Friday, calling themselves the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants. Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for nun 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English nunne, from Late Latin nonna

Noun (2)

Hebrew nūn

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nun was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near nun

Cite this Entry

“Nun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nun. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

nun

noun
ˈnən
: a woman belonging to a religious order
especially : one living under solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience

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