NANCY, nan'si, _n._ an effeminate young man, often a 'Miss Nancy.'--NANCY PRETTY, a corruption of _none so pretty_, the _Saxifraga umbrosa_.
NANDINE, nan'din, _n._ a small West African paradoxure, with spotted sides.
NANDU, NANDOO, nan'd[=oo], _n._ the South American ostrich.
NANISM, n[=a]'nizm, _n._ dwarfishness.--_n._ NANIS[=A]'TION, the artificial dwarfing of trees.--_adj._ N[=A]'NOID. [Fr.,--L.,--Gr. _nanos_, a dwarf.]
NANKEEN, nan-k[=e]n', _n._ a buff-coloured cotton cloth first made at _Nankin_ in China: (_pl._) clothes, esp. breeches, made of nankeen.--Also NANKIN'.
NANNY, nan'i, _n._ a female goat.--Also NANN'Y-GOAT.
NAP, nap, _n._ a short sleep.--_v.i._ to take a short sleep: to feel drowsy and secure:--_pr.p._ nap'ping; _pa.p._ napped.--CATCH NAPPING, to come upon unprepared. [A.S. _hnappian_; cf. Ger. _nicken_, to nod.]
NAP, nap, _n._ the woolly substance on the surface of cloth: the downy covering of plants.--_v.t._ to raise a nap on.--_ns._ NAP'-M[=E]'TER, a machine for testing the wearing strength of cloth; NAP'PINESS.--_adj._ NAP'PY. [M. E. _noppe_: the same as _knop_.]
NAP, nap, _n._ a game of cards--_Napoleon_ (q.v.).
NAP, nap, _v.t._ to seize, to take hold of, steal.
NAPE, n[=a]p, _n._ the back upper part of the neck, perhaps so called from the knob or projecting point of the neck behind. [_Knap_, _knob_.]
NAPERY, n[=a]'per-i, _n._ linen, esp. for the table: table-cloths, napkins, &c. [O. Fr.,--Low L. _naparia_--_napa, a cloth_--L. _mappa_, a napkin.]
NAPHTHA, naf'tha, or nap'tha, _n._ a clear, inflammable liquid distilled from petroleum, wood, coal-tar, &c.: rock-oil.--_n._ NAPH'THALENE, a grayish-white, inflammable substance obtained by the distillation of coal-tar.--_adj._ NAPHTHAL'IC, pertaining to, or derived from, naphthalene.--_v.t._ NAPH'THALISE.--_ns._ NAPH'THOL, NAPHTHYL'AMINE. [L.,--Gr.,--Ar. _naft_.]
NAPIERIAN, n[=a]-p[=e]'ri-an, _adj._ pertaining to John _Napier_ of Merchiston (1550-1617), the inventor of logarithms.--NAPIER'S BONES, or RODS, an invention of Napier's for performing mechanically the operations of multiplication and division, by means of sets of rods.
NAPIFORM, n[=a]p'i-form, _adj._ shaped like a turnip: large and round above and slender below.--_adj._ NAPIF[=O]'LIOUS, with leaves like the turnip. [L. _napus_, a turnip.]