Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nonsense” come from?

Nonsense comes from Latin nōnā meaning "ninth hour of the day," from Latin nōnus meaning "ninth," from Latin novem meaning "nine."

nonsense (English): Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have...

Definitions

  1. Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have...

Ancestry of “nonsense”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsenseAny of the manners by which living beings...
2Middle Englishsense—
3Old Frenchsensreason; ability to reason or think
4Latinsēnsus—
5Dutchcensus—
6Latincensuscensus, a registering of the populace and their...
7LatincenseoI give an opinion; I think, suppose or judge; I...
8Proto-Italickensēōto give an opinion
9Proto-Italickensējō—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱens-éh₁-ye-ti—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱens-to announce, to proclaim; to put in order
12Proto-Indo-Europeanḱem-to cover, conceal; hornless

Words derived from “nonsense”

  • nonsensical
  • nonsensically
  • nonsensicality
  • nonsensicalness
  • nonsensity
  • nonsensification
  • nonsensify
  • ナンセンス
  • nonsens
  • nonsens
  • nonszensz
  • nonsens
  • 난센스
  • nonsense
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱem- →