N

nabob (noun)
A person of conspicuous wealth or high status. (NOA)

A person of wealth and prominence. (AHD)

A rich or powerful person. (CD)

A rich, powerful, or important person; any very wealthy, influential, or powerful person. (CDC)

nascent (adjective)
Coming or having recently come into existence. (MW)
Especially of a process or organization:  Just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential. (NOA)
Emerging, just coming into existence.  Beginning to develop. (WN)

Coming into existence; emerging. (AHD)
Being born or beginning.  Describes the birth or beginning of something, like a civilization, a trend, an idea, or an action. (VC)
See:  inchoate

natter (verb and noun)
verb:

Talk casually, especially about unimportant matters; chat; chatter. (NOA)

To talk continuously for a long time without any particular purpose. (CD)

To talk idly; chatter. (AHD)
noun:

A casual and leisurely conversation. (NOA)

Idle talk or conversation; chat. (MW)

Friendly conversation without any particular purpose, or an example of this. (CD)

negotiation (noun)

Discussion aimed at reaching an agreement. (NOA)

The process of discussing something with someone in order to reach an agreement with them, or the discussions themselves. (CD)

The effort to bring about an agreement between two or more parties, with all parties having the right to veto. (Jim Camp, Start With No – According to his website, Camp found this definition in an old Oxford English Dictionary he found at the Hong Kong airport)

Note:  Clearly the Camp definition is the most useful.  It is worth remembering that discussion, while often important, is but one aspect of a negotiation.  Camp refers to negotiation by the broader term, effort.

See:  counterpart, pain

neologism (noun)

A new word, usage, or expression. (MW)

A newly coined word or expression. (NOA)

A new word, expression, or usage. (AHD)
A new word or expression, or a new meaning for an existing word. (CD)
A newly coined word, or a phrase or familiar word used in a new sense.  A new word or a new meaning for an established word. (CDC)

neophilia (noun)
Love of or enthusiasm for what is new or novel. (MW)
Love or, preference for, or great interest in what is new; a love of novelty. (OD)

A tendency to like anything new; love of novelty. (CDC)
neophiliac (adjective and noun):  Characterized by neophilia or a person characterized by neophilia. (OED)
neophobia (noun):  Fear or dislike of what is new; aversion to novelty.  Also, occasionally, an instance of this. (OED)
neophobic (adjective)
neophile (noun):  One who loves or has a strong affinity for anything new or novel. (WN)

neopronoun (neologism)

A new category of factitious words, used in place of the pronouns she, he, or they, when referring to a person.  Some examples include:  xe/xem/xyr, ze/hir/hirs, and ey/em/eir.  Anyone can use neopronouns, but transgender, non-binary, and/or gender nonconforming people use them most often. (RM, adapted from UNCG)

Note:  I tried to find a straightforward definition of neopronoun, but all of them are nonsensical; here is an example and another.  The irony is that these people take themselves very seriously, and they truly believe that we should as well.  I have written on neopronouns here.

See:  cisgender, gender dysphoria, pronouns (declaring or stating)

newspeak (noun)
Originally:  The artificial language used for official propaganda in the dystopia of Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.  Subsequently:  Any corrupt form of English; especially ambiguous or euphemistic language as used in official pronouncements or political propaganda.  Frequently derogatory.  (OED)

Propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings. (MW)

Deliberately ambiguous and contradictory language used to mislead and manipulate the public. (AHD)

Language used by politicians and government officials that is intentionally difficult to understand or does not mean what it seems to mean and is therefore likely to confuse or deceive people. (CD)

ninnyhammer (noun)
Ninny; simpleton, fool. (MW)
A blockhead; a fool or braggart. (OD)

A fool or simpleton; ninny. (CDC)

See:  mooncalf, numpty, pillock

See:  Note on Terms for Foolish, Silly, and Stupid

noetic (adjective)
Of, relating to, or based on the intellect. (MW)
Relating to mental activity or the intellect. (OD)
Originating in the mind; mental perception. (WN)

Relating to activity of the mind. (CD)

Of, relating to, originating in, or apprehended by the intellect. (AHD)

Of a process, faculty, etc., characterized by or involving intellectual activity or, more narrowly, intellectual intuition; of or relating to knowledge or the intellect, cognitive.  Of or relating to the act or processes of perceiving or thinking.  Of an object, idea, etc., apprehended by, or belonging to the realm of, pure intellect; purely abstract or intellectual, transcendental.  Given to intellectual speculation. (OED)

not cricket (British idiom)

Something contrary to traditional standards of fairness or rectitude. (OD)

Not fair, polite, or proper. (MW)

If behavior is not cricket, it is not fair, honest or moral. (CD)

If you say that someone's behavior is not cricket, you mean that they have not behaved fairly. (CDC)

Meaning for something to be dodgy, wrong, or unfair.  Based on cricket being a gentleman's game where fair play is expected. (Urban Dictionary)

Grok:  An idiom that comes from the sport of cricket, which is deeply tied to notions of fair play and gentlemanly conduct in British culture.  It means something is unfair, unsportsmanlike, or not done in the proper spirit of decency.  Think of it like saying that is not how the game should be played, it is a way of calling out behavior that goes against an unwritten code of honor.  For example, if someone cheats or takes advantage in a sneaky way, you might hear, That is simply not cricket.  It is a bit old-fashioned, but it still pops up in casual speech. (Grok)

See:  cricket

nugatory (adjective)

Worth nothing or of little value. (CD)

Of no value or importance.  Useless or futile. (NOA)

Of little or no importance; trifling.  Unavailing, futile, or invalid. (AHD)

Of little or no consequence; trifling, inconsequential.  Having no force; inoperative. (MW)

numinous (adjective)

Mysterious.  Filled with a sense of the presence of divinity. (MW)

Having a deep spiritual or religious quality or connection. (CD)

Having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity. (NOA)

Note:  There is a subtle but important distinction between the numinous, which may indicate or suggest the supernatural, and the actual supernatural.  This point was made here.

numpty (noun and adjective)
A stupid or ineffectual person. (NOA)

A stupid or silly person. (CD)

A person lacking intelligence. (CDC)

A fool, an incompetent. (Green's)
A stupid or foolish person; an idiot. (OED)
adjective:  Especially of a person, stupid, foolish, idiotic.  Examples:  numpty coppers, numpty ministers. (OED)

See:  mooncalf, ninnyhammer, pillock

See:  Note on Terms for Foolish, Silly, and Stupid

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