nun

n.
A woman who belongs to a religious order or congregation devoted to active service or meditation, living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

[Middle English, from Old English nunne and from Old French nonne, both from Late Latin nonna, feminine of nonnus, tutor, monk.]

nun² (nʊn)
n.
The 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[Mishnaic Hebrew nûn, of Phoenician origin.]

n

Definition: devoted woman in church
Antonyms: monk

---

Usual English translation of the Sanskrit word bhikṣunī (Pāli, bhikkhunī). In this sense the term refers only to fully ordained member of the Saṃgha. In various parts of the Buddhist world there are orders of women who devote themselves to the religious life but are not fully ordained. These usually follow a lesser number of precepts, such as the dasa silmātā of Sri Lanka.

Quotes:

"Convent. A place of retirement for women who wish for leisure to meditate upon the sin of idleness." - Ambrose Bierce

"The convent, which belongs to the West as it does to the East, to antiquity as it does to the present time, to Buddhism and Muhammadanism as it does to Christianity, is one of the optical devices whereby man gains a glimpse of infinity." - Victor Hugo

"A nun, at best, is only half a woman, just as a priest is only half a man." - H. L. Mencken

"Come, pensive nun, devout and pure, sober steadfast, and demure, all in a robe of darkest grain, flowing with majestic train." - John Milton

"She gave up beauty in her tender youth, gave all her hope and joy and pleasant ways; she covered up her eyes lest they should gaze on vanity, and chose the bitter truth." - Christina Rossetti

"The sight of a Black nun strikes their sentimentality; and, as I am unalterably rooted in native ground, they consider me a work of primitive art, housed in a magical color; the incarnation of civilized, anti-heathenism, and the fruit of a triumphing idea." - Alice Walker

See more famous quotes about Nuns

Graduates of parochial schools have numerous associations with nuns that go beyond the scope of this book. Otherwise, nuns can represent everything from spirituality to religious authority to sexual repression.

---

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - nonne

2.
n. - det 14. bogstav i det hebraiske alfabet

Nederlands (Dutch)
non, blauw-/pimpelmees

Français (French)
1.
n. - religieuse, bonne s¯ur

2.
n. - noun (quatorzième lettre de l'alphabet hébraïque)

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Nonne

2.
n. - 14. Buchstabe des hebräischen Alphabets

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) καλόγρια, μοναχή

Italiano (Italian)
suora

Português (Portuguese)
n. - freira (f), canário-da-terra (m) (Ornit.)

Русский (Russian)
монахиня

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - monja, religiosa, mujer que pertenece a una orden religiosa

2.
n. - decimocuarta letra del alfabeto hebreo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - klippduva, nunna, blåmes, nunnefjäril

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 修女, 尼姑

2. 修女, 尼姑

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 修女, 尼姑

2.
n. - 修女, 尼姑

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 수녀

2.
n. - 히브리 알파벳의 14번째 글자

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 修道女

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) راهبه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נזירה‬
n. - ‮האות נון‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.