nun

noun

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.

(by extension) A member of a similar female community in other confessions.

A kind of pigeon with the feathers on its head like the hood of a nun.

The fourteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets or abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).

The languages of the Bamun people of western Cameroon.

(archaic, British, slang) A prostitute.

(very rare) A male given name from Hebrew.

Roots

nonnanun- · Latin · tutor, elderly woman, monastic woman

Synonyms for nun

religieuse priestn prioressn conventualadj abbessn monasticadj clergywoman postulantn

Synonyms & related words for nun

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of nun — including religieuse, priest, prioress, conventual, abbess, monastic. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to nun

Explore words related to nun — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include nunhood, nunneries, religieux, monkery, convent, monachal, monks, laywoman. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for nun

Common synonyms for nun include religieuse, priest, prioress, conventual, abbess, monastic, clergywoman, postulant — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does nun come from?

The word nun breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root nun, from Latin nonna (“tutor, elderly woman, monastic woman”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.