N

noun

the fourteenth letter of the alphabet.

1. (used in recording moves in chess) knight.

   17.Na4?

2. (on a gear lever) neutral.
3. (chiefly in place names) New.

   N Zealand

4. newton(s).
5. (with reference to solutions) normal.

   the pH was adjusted to 7.0 with 1 N HCl

6. North or Northern.

   78° N

   N Ireland

7. Norway (international vehicle registration).
8. nuclear.

   the N bomb

symbol

the chemical element nitrogen.

1. (in units of measurement) nano- (10⁻⁹).

   500 ng

2. neuter.
3. normal (denoting straight-chain hydrocarbons).

   n -hexane

4. note (used in a book's index to refer to a footnote).

   450n

5. noun.

1. an unspecified or variable number.

   at the limit where n equals infinity

1. and (conventionally used in informal contexts to coordinate two closely connected elements).

   rock 'n' roll

   fish 'n' chips

suffix

variant spelling of -en².

suffix

variant spelling of -en³.

1. (forming adjectives from nouns) made or consisting of.

   earthen

   woollen

2. (forming adjectives from nouns) resembling.

   golden

Old English, of Germanic origin.

1. forming past participles of strong verbs as a regular inflection.

   spoken

2. forming past participles of strong verbs as an adjective.

   mistaken

   torn

Old English, of Germanic origin.

noun, symbol

the SI unit of force. It is equal to the force that would give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one metre per second per second, and is equivalent to 100,000 dynes.

early 20th century: named after Sir Issac Newton (see Newton, Sir Isaac).

noun, symbol

the chemical element of atomic number 7, a colourless, odourless unreactive gas that forms about 78 per cent of the earth's atmosphere. Liquid nitrogen (made by distilling liquid air) boils at 77.4 kelvins (−195.8°C) and is used as a coolant.

late 18th century: from French nitrogène (see nitre, -gen).