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Added 9 October 2026

nan

/næn/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nan at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Your grandmother.
The mother of your father or mother.
A river of western Thailand flowing southward to join the Ping River to form the Chao Phraya.

Origin

From Nan, pet form of the formerly very common female given names Anne and Agnes. As a nursemaid and grandmother, a clipping of earlier nana, from nanny under the probable influence of mama, also from Nan. Compare Mary.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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