nun

Where does the word "nun" come from? It comes from Late Latin nonna, passing through Old English before entering English (1200s).

Nun’s story begins in Late Latin: nonna meant “elder woman; nun.” A respectful word for an elder, probably from nursery speech; the Rule of St Benedict tells younger monks to call their seniors nonnus, 'reverend father'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old English as nunne. Anglo-Saxon double monasteries of monks and nuns, like Whitby under Abbess Hild (d. 680), were ruled by women. It reached English by 1200s as nun. Reinforced by Old French nonne; Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536-41 closed every English convent. Today, nun means a woman living in a religious community under vows.

1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · 500s nonna "elder woman; nun", a respectful word for an elder, probably from nursery speech; the Rule of St Benedict tells younger monks to call their seniors nonnus, 'reverend father'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · medieval nunne "nun", Anglo-Saxon double monasteries of monks and nuns, like Whitby under Abbess Hild (d. 680), were ruled by women.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s nun "woman in a religious order", reinforced by Old French nonne; Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536-41 closed every English convent.