nunnish 
nunnish (nun'ish), . [< w + -is* 1 .] Per- 
taining to or characteristic of nuns: as, nun- 
iiix/t apparel. 
All three daughters of Merwaldus, king of Westmer- 
cians, entred the profession and vow of nunnish virginitie. 
Foxe, Martyrs, p. 120. 
nunnisiness (nun'ish-nes), H. Nunnish char- 
acter or habits. 
nunryet, A Middle English form of nunnery. 
nun's-cloth (nunz'kl&tk), n. One of several 
varieties of bunting used for women's gowns. 
nun's-collar (mmz'kol"ar), n. An implement 
of penance. See penance instruments, under 
penaHci'. 
nun's-COtton (nunz'kot"n), . A designation 
applied to all fine white embroidery-cotton, 
from its use in embroidery on linen by nuns in 
convents. It is marked on the labels with a 
cross, and is sometimes called cross-cotton. 
ntin's-thread (nunz'thred), n. In the sixteenth 
century and later, fine white linen thread such 
as was fit for lace-making. 
nun's-veiling (nunz'va/'ling), n. An untwilled 
woolen fabric, very soft, fine, and thin, used by 
women for veils, and also for dresses, etc. 
nimtius, . See nuncius. 
nupt(nup), n. [Perhaps a var. of nope. Ci.nup- 
son.] A simpleton ; a fool. 
"Tis he Indeed, the vilest nup ! yet the fool loves me ex- 
ceedingly. A. Brewer, Lingua, ii. 1. 
Nuphar (nu'far), n. [NL. (Sir J. E. Smith, 
1806), < Gr. vmi<j>ap, a water-lily. Cf. nenuphar.} 
A genus of yellow water-lilies, now known as 
Nympha'a. 
nupsont (nup'son), n. [Appar. < nup + -son.'] 
A fool; a simpleton. 
that I were so happy as to light on a nupgon now. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, iv. 4. 
nuptial (nup'shal), a. and n. [= F. nuptial = 
Sp. Pg. nuptial = It. nuziak', < L. miptialki, per- 
taining to marriage, < nuptice, a marriage, < 
nupta, a bride, a wife, < nubere, pp. nuptus, 
marry: see nubile.'] I. a. Of or pertaining to 
marriage, or to the marriage ceremony ; con- 
nected with or used at a wedding. 
Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour 
Draws on apace. Shale., M. N. D., i. 1. 1. 
They light the nuptial torch, and bid invoke 
Hymen, then first to marriage rites invoked. 
Milton, P. L., xi. 590. 
Nuptial benediction. See benediction, 2 (c). Nuptial 
number, a number obscurely described at the beginning 
of the eighth book of the "Republic " of Plato, and said to 
preside over the generation of men. The number meant 
may be 864. Nuptial plumage, in ornith., the set of 
feathers peculiar to the breeding season of any bird. In 
all birds the plumage is at its best at this time; it is 
generally followed and may be preceded by a molt ; and 
in very many cases the male assumes a particular feather- 
ing not shared by the female. Nuptial song, a mar- 
riage-song; an epithalamium.=Syn. Hymeneal, etc. (see 
matrimonial), bridal. 
II, . Marriage: now always in the plural. 
This looks not like a nuptial. 
Shale. , Much Ado, iv. 1. 69. 
She should this Angelo have married ; was affianced to 
her by oath, and the nuptial appointed. 
Shalt., M. for M., iii. 1. 222. 
Beside their received fitness, at all prizes, they [gloves] 
are here properly accommodate to the nuptials of my schol- 
ar's 'haviour to the lady Courtship. 
B. Jonson, Cynthia's Bevels, v. 2. 
=Syn. Wedding, Matrimony, etc. See marriage. 
miptially (nup'shal-i), adv. As regards mar- 
riage ; with respect to marriage or the marriage 
ceremony. 
nur, nurr (ner), n. [A simplified spelling of 
knur,] A hard knot in wood ; a knob ; a wood- 
en ball used in the game of hockey and that of 
nur-and-spell. 
nur-and-spell (ner'and-spel'), n. A game like 
trap-ball, played in "the north of England with 
a wooden ball called a nur. The ball is released 
by means of a spring from a little cup at the end of a 
tongue of steel called a spell or spill. The object of each 
player is to knock it with a bat or pummel as far as possi- 
ble. See trap, n. Also nurspell, and corruptly northent- 
spett. 
nurang (no-rang'), 11. 
[E. Ind.j The Bengal 
ant-thrush, Pitta ben- 
galensis. 
riurchyt, v t. A Mid- 
dle English form of 
nourish. 
Nuremberg counters. 
Circular pieces of 
brass, bearing various 
devices and inscrip- 
tions, largely made at 
Nuremberg in Ger- 
A tool for in- 
i. Nurhng-t 
Screw with 
head. 
Nuremberg Counter (obverse) 
(Size of the original.) 
4042 
many, especially in the sixteenth and seven- 
teenth centuries, by the families of Krau- 
winckle, Schultz, and others. They were chiefly 
made for use on a counting-board or-table, to facilitate the 
casting up of accounts. Sometimes called, though incor- 
rectly, Nuremberg tokens. See jetton. 
Nuremberg egg. An early kind of watch of an 
oval form, made especially at Nuremberg. 
nurhag, . [Also in pi. (It.) noraylte, nurat/he; 
dial. (Sardinian).] A structure of early date 
and uncertain purpose, of a kind peculiar to 
the island of Sardinia. It is a round tower having 
the form of a truncated cone, from 20 to 60 feet in di- 
ameter, and in height about equal to its diameter at the 
base. There is invariably a ramp or staircase leading to 
the platform at the top of the tower. Such towers are 
often found in groups or combinations. There are sev- 
eral thousand of them in Sardinia, but none have been 
recognized elsewhere. 
nurist, . A Middle English form of nurse. 
nurishH, ' * A Middle English form of nourish. 
nurish 2 !, A Middle English form of nurse. 
nurl (nerl), v. t. [A simplified spelling of knurl: 
see knurl, knarfl , gnarfl.] To flute or indent on 
the edge, as a coin. See nurling. 
nurling(ner'ling), n. [Verbal n. of nurl, v.] 1. 
A series of fine indentations or reeding on the 
edge of a temper or set-screw to afford a better 
hold for turning it ; also, the milling of a coin. 
2. Engraving or scratching in zigzag lines, 
producing a rude form of ornament. Compare 
gnarling. 
nurling-tool (ner'ling-tol), . 
denting, reeding, or milling 
the edges of the heads of tan- 
gent-screws, etc. It consists of 
a roller with a sunken groove in its 
periphery, the indentation forming 
the counterpart of the bead to be 
formed on the head of the screw. 
The object revolves in a lathe, and 
the nurling-tool is held against it to 
form the indentations. 
nurly, a. A simplified spelling of knurly. 
nurnt, ' See norn\. 
nurryt, [Also noory, nourie; < ME. nurrye, 
nurree, norie, nori, (. OF. nouri, nourri, pp. of 
nourir, nourrir. nourish : see nourish.] A foster- 
child. 
Thowe arte my nevewe fulle nere, my nurree of olde, 
That I have chastyede and chosene, a childe of my cham- 
byre. Morte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 689. 
O my nory, quod she, I have gret gladnesse of the. 
Chaucer, Boethius, iii. prose 11. 
And in hir armes the naked Nourie strainde ; 
Whereat the Boy began to striue a good. 
Turbenille, The Lover Wisheth, etc. 
nurschet, n. A Middle English form of nurse. 
nurse (ners), n. [Early mod. E. also nourse, 
nource, nourice; < ME. nonce, nurishe, nurys, 
etc., < OF. norice, nourice, F. nourrice = It. nu- 
trice, < L. nutrix (ace. nutricem), a nurse, for 
"ntttritrix, < mttrire, suckle, nourish, tend: see 
nourish.] 1. A woman who nourishes or suckles 
an infant; specifically, a woman who suckles 
the infant of another: commonly called a wet- 
nurse ; also, a female servant who has the care 
of a child or of children. 
Heil norische of sweete ihesus ! 
Heil cheefest of chastite, forsothe to say ! 
Hymns to Virgin, etc. (E. E. T. S.), p. 6. 
Up spake the son on the nmtrices knee. 
Baron of Braikley (Child's Ballads, VI. 196). 
Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, 
that she may nurse the child for thee ? Ex. ii. 7. 
Meeker than any child to a rough nurse. 
Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
2. Hence, one who or that which nurtures, 
trains, cherishes, or protects. 
Gold, which is the very cause of warres, 
The neast of strife, and nourice of debate. 
Oascoigne, Steele Glas (ed. Arber), p. 60. 
Alack, or we must lose 
The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person, 
Our comfort in the country. Shale., Cor., v. 3. 110. 
Sicilia, . . . called by Cais the granary and nurse of the 
people of Rome. Sandys, Travailes, p. 184. 
O Caledonia ! stern and wild, 
Meet nurse for a poetic child. 
Scott, L. of L. M., vi. 2. 
3. One who has the care of a sick or infirm per- 
son, as an attendant in a hospital. 
I will attend my husband, be his nurse, 
Diet his sickness, for it is my office. 
Shak.,C. of E., v. 1. 98. 
The nurse sleeps sweetly, hired to watch the sick. 
Coutper, Task, i. 89. 
4. In the United States navy, a sick-bay at- 
tendant, formerly called loblolly -boy. 5. "The 
state of being nursed or in the care of a nurse : 
as, to put out a child to nurse. 
nurse 
The elder of them, being put to nurse, 
Was by a beggar-woman stolen away. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iv. 2. 150. 
No, thank 'em for their Love, that 's worse 
Than if they 'd throttled 'em at Nurse. 
Prior, To Fleetwood Shepherd. 
6. In hort., a shrub or tree which protects a 
young plant. 7. In ichth., a name of various 
sharks of inactive habits, which rest for a long 
time or bask in the water, (a) A shark of the fami- 
ly Scymnidce, Somniosus or Lcemargus microcephalus. It 
is common in the arctic and subarctic seas, and attains a 
length of 20 feet; it has a robust body, the first dorsal fin 
far in advance of the ventrals, the upper teeth narrow and 
the lower quadrate, with horizontal ridge ending in a 
point. (6) A shark of the family Ginylymvstumidce, Ginyly- 
inostoma cirrata, of slender form, with first dorsal fin above 
and behind the ventrals, and teeth in both jaws in many 
rows and with a strong median cusp and one or two small 
cusps on each side. It is common in the Caribbean Sea 
and the Gulf of Mexico, and occasionally visits the south- 
ern Atlantic coast of the United States ; it attains a length 
of 10 or 12 feet. 
8. A blastozooid. See the quotation. 
The ova of the sexual generation produce tailed larvae ; 
these develop into forms known as nurses (blastozooids), 
which are asexual, and are characterized by the possession 
of nine muscle-bands, an auditory sac on the left side of 
the body, a ventrally-placed stolon near the heart, upon 
which buds are produced, and a dorsal outgrowth near the 
posterior end of the body. Encyc. Brit., XXIII. 615. 
9. In brewing, a cask of hot or cold water im- 
mersed in wort. See the quotation. 
Before the plan of fitting the tuns with attemperating 
pipes came into use, the somewhat clumsy expedient of 
immersing in the wort casks filled with hot or cold water 
was employed for the purpose of accelerating or retarding 
the fermentation. The casks so used were termed nurses, 
and are still used in some breweries. 
Spans' Encyc. Manuf., I. 407. 
10. A nurse-frog Monthly nurse, a sick-nurse, es- 
pecially for lying-in women, who makes engagements for 
a limited period, as a month. Nurses' contracture, a 
.name given by Trousseau to tetany, from its comparative 
frequency of occurrence during lactation. 
nurse (ners), v. ; pret. and pp. nursed, ppr. nurs- 
ing. [Early mod. E. also nourice; < nurse, n.: 
in part due to nourish, i:] I. trans. 1. To 
suckle; nourish at the breast; feed and tend 
generally in infancy. 
0, that woman that cannot make her fault her husband's 
occasion, let her never nurse her child herself, for she will 
breed it like a fool. Shak., As you Like it, iv. 1. 178. 
2. To rear ; nurture ; bring up. 
Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be 
nursed at thy side. Isa. Ix. 4. 
The Niseans in their dark abode 
Nursed secretly with milk the thriving god. 
Addfeon, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., iii. 
3. To tend in sickness or infirmity; take care 
of: as, to nurse an invalid or an aged person. 
Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age ; 
Thou in old age car'st how to nurse thy son. 
Milton, S. A., L 1487. 
4. To promote growth or vigor in ; encourage ; 
foster ; care for with the intent or effect of pro- 
moting growth, increase, development, etc. 
I do, as much as I can, thank him [Lord Hay] by thank- 
ing of you, who begot or nursed these good impressions of 
me in him. Donne, Letters, xxxvL 
By lot from Jove I am the power 
Of this fair wood, and live in oaken bower. 
To nurse the saplings tall, and curl the grove 
With ringlets quaint. Milton, Arcades, 1. 46. 
Scenes form'd for contemplation, and to nurse 
The growing seeds of wisdom. Coicper, Task, iii. 301. 
Not those who nurse their grief the longest are always 
the ones who loved most generously and whole-heartedly. 
J. Hawthorne. Dust, p. 236. 
An ambitious congressman is therefore forced to think 
day and night of his re-nomination, and to secure it not 
only by procuring, if he can, grants from the Federal 
treasury for local purposes, and places for the relatives 
and friends of the local wire-pullers who control the nom- 
inating conventions, but also by sedulously nursing the 
constituency during the vacations. 
J. Bryce, American Commonwealth, I. 193. 
5. To caress; fondle; dandle. 
They have nursed this woe, in feeding life. 
Shak., Tit. And., iii. 1. 74. 
The Siren Venus nmiriced in her lap 
Fair Adon. Greene, Sonnet from Perimedes. 
Caddy hung upon her father, and nursed his cheek 
against hers as if he were some poor dull child in pain. 
Dickens, Bleak House, xxx. 
The doctor turned himself to the hearth-rug, and, put- 
ting one leg over the other, he began to nurse it. 
Trollope, Dr. Thorne, xi. 
6. To cheat. [Slang. ] =Syn. Nourish, etc. See nur- 
ture, v. t. 
II. intrans. To act as nurse ; specifically, to 
suckle a child: as, a nursing woman. 
My redoubled love and care 
With nursing diligence, to me glad office, 
Shall ever tend about thee to old age. 
Milton. S. A., 1. 924. 
O ! when shall rise a monarch all our own. 
And 1, a mim'njHnother, rock the throne? 
Pope, Dunciad, i. 312. 
