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
Noun
A lot has happened on this plot since three Augustinian nuns first arrived in 1639, but clues to its previous life come in the Christian iconography. Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024 The climactic scene between the nun and the priest, as their certainties finally collide, is thus slightly muffled in this production, which doesn’t take enough time to let the momentousness of what’s happening sink in. Jesse Green, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 West, who attended Catholic school as a child, was captivated by the nuns and their habits. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2024 Arriving on a Sunday makes for an ultra peaceful visit because many of the locals visit the hill-top monastery (really a convent because 40 nuns live there) for the Greek Orthodox mass. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Inside, some nuns visited with family members in a small room. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 Some nuns would vanish—of their own volition, which they weren’t supposed to have, or because they’d been asked to leave. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 In another, a nun, her white habit matching the clouds in the sky, marches up a path to a church on the slopes of Mt Kilanmanjaro. Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Explosives had also shattered an adjoining convent where nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, care for Gazans with disabilities. Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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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