Nuptial, nup′shal, adj. pertaining to marriage: constituting marriage.—n.pl. Nup′tials, marriage: wedding ceremony. [Fr.,—L. nuptialis—nuptiæ, marriage—nubĕre, nuptum, to marry.]
Nur, nur, n. a knot or knob in wood. See Knurr.
Nurl, nurl, v.t. to mill or indent on the edge.—ns. Nurl′ing, the milling of a coin: the series of indentations on the edge of some screw-heads: zigzag ornamental engraving; Nurl′ing-tool.
Nurse, nurs, n. a woman who nourishes an infant: a mother while her infant is at the breast: one who has the care of infants or of the sick: (hort.) a shrub or tree which protects a young plant.—v.t. to tend, as an infant or a sick person: to bring up: to cherish: to manage with care and economy: to play skilfully, as billiard-balls, in order to get them into the position one wants.—adj. Nurse′like (Shak.), like or becoming a nurse.—ns. Nurse′maid, a girl who takes care of children; Nurs′er, one who nurses: one who promotes growth; Nurs′ery, place for nursing: an apartment for young children: a place where the growth of anything is promoted: (hort.) a piece of ground where plants are reared; Nurs′ery-gov′erness; Nurs′erymaid, a nurse-maid; Nurs′eryman, a man who owns or works a nursery: one who is employed in cultivating plants, &c., for sale; Nurs′ing-fa′ther (B.), a foster-father; Nurs′ling, that which is nursed: an infant. [O. Fr. norrice (Fr. nourrice)—L. nutrix—nutrīre, to nourish.]
Nurture, nurt′ūr, n. act of nursing or nourishing: nourishment: education: instruction.—v.t. to nourish: to bring up: to educate.—n. Nurt′urer. [O. Fr. noriture (Fr. nourriture)—Low L. nutritura—L. nutrīre, to nourish.]
Nut, nut, n. the name popularly given to all those fruits which have the seed enclosed in a bony, woody, or leathery pericarp, not opening when ripe: (bot.) a one-celled fruit, with a hardened pericarp, containing, when mature, only one seed: often the hazel-nut, sometimes the walnut: a small block of metal for screwing on the end of a bolt.—v.i. to gather nuts:—pr.p. nut′ting; pa.p. nut′ted.—adj. Nut′-brown, brown, like a ripe old nut.—ns. Nut′cracker, an instrument for cracking nuts: a genus of birds of the family Corvidæ; Nut′-gall, an excrescence, chiefly of the oak; Nut′hatch, a genus of birds of the family Sittidæ, agile creepers—also Nut′jobber, Nut′pecker; Nut′-hook, a stick with a hook at the end for pulling down boughs that the nuts may be gathered: a bailiff, a thief who uses a hook; Nut′meal, meal made from the kernels of nuts; Nut′-oil, an oil obtained from walnuts; Nut′-pine, one of several pines with large edible seeds; Nut′shell, the hard substance that encloses the kernel of a nut: anything of little value; Nut′ter, one who gathers nuts; Nut′tiness; Nut′ting, the gathering of nuts; Nut′-tree, any tree bearing nuts, esp. the hazel.—adj. Nut′ty, abounding in nuts: having the flavour of nuts.—n. Nut′-wrench, an instrument for fixing on nuts or removing them from screws.—A nut to crack, a difficult problem to solve; Be nuts on (slang), to be very fond of; In a nutshell, in small compass. [A.S. hnutu; Ice. hnot, Dut. noot, Ger. nuss.]
Nutant, nū′tant, adj. nodding: (bot.) having the top of the stem of the flower-cluster bent downward.—n. Nūtā′tion, a nodding: (astron.) a periodical and constant change of the angle made by the earth's axis, with the ecliptic, caused by the attraction of the moon on the greater mass of matter round the equator: (bot.) the turning of flowers towards the sun. [L. nutāre, to nod.]
Nutmeg, nut′meg, n. the aromatic kernel of an East Indian tree, much used as a seasoning in cookery.—adj. Nut′megged; Nut′meggy. [M. E. notemuge, a hybrid word formed from nut, and O. Fr. muge, musk—L. muscus, musk.]
Nutria, nū′tri-a, n. the fur of the coypou, a South American beaver. [Sp.,—L. lutra, an otter.]
Nutriment, nū′tri-ment, n. that which nourishes: that which helps forward growth or development: food.—adj. Nū′trient, nourishing.—n. anything nourishing.—adj. Nū′trimental, having the quality of nutriment or food: nutritious.—n. Nūtri′tion, act of nourishing: process of promoting the growth of bodies: that which nourishes: nutriment.—adjs. Nūtri′tional; Nūtri′tious, nourishing: promoting growth.—adv. Nūtri′tiously.—n. Nūtri′tiousness.—adjs. Nū′tritive, Nū′tritory, nourishing: concerned in nutrition.—adv. Nū′tritively.—ns. Nū′tritiveness; Nūtritō′rium, the nutritive apparatus. [L. nutrimentum—nutrīre, to nourish.]