The fourteenth letter and eleventh consonant in the English alphabet, having a corresponding place also in the alphabets from which ours comes.The value of the character has been the same through the whole history of its use. It stands for the “dental” nasal, the nasal sound corresponding to d and t, as does m to b and p, and ng to g and k. This sound, namely, implies for its formation the same check or mute-contact as d and t, with sonant vibration of the vocal cords as in d, and further with unclosure of the passage from the mouth into the nose, and nasal resonance there. Among the nasals, it is by far the most common in English pronunciation (more than twice as common as m, and eight times as common as ng). While all the nasals are semivocalic or liquid, n is the only one which (like l, but not more than half as often) is used with vocalic value in syllable-making: namely, in unaccented syllables, where an accompanying vowel, formerly uttered, is now silenced: examples are token, rotten, open, lesson, reason, oven; such form, on an average, about one in eight hundred of English syllables. The sign n has no variety of sounds; but before ch, j, in the same syllable (as in inch, hinge) it takes on a slightly modified—a palatalized—character; and similarly it is gutturalized, or pronounced as ng, before k and g (hard), as in ink, finger; and its digraph ng (see G) is the usual representative of the guttural or back-palatal nasal, which in none of our alphabets has a letter to itself. N is doubled under the same circumstances as other consonants, and in a few words (as kiln, damn, hymn) is silent. In the phonetic history of our family of languages, n is on the whole a constant sound; that is to say, there is no other sound into which it passes on a large scale; but its loss, with accompanying vowel-modification, has been a frequent process.As a medieval numeral, 90, and with a stroke over it (Ñ), 90,000.In chem., the symbol for nitrogen.In mathematics, an indefinite constant whole number, especially the degree of a quantic or an equation, or the class of a curve.An abbreviationof north or northern;of noun (so used in this work);of neuter;of nail (or nails), a measure.An abbreviationof North America, or North American;of National Academy, or National Academician;in microscopy, of numerical aperture (see objective).n. An abbreviation of the Latin nota bene, literally, mark or note well—that is, take particular notice.An abbreviationof National Guard;of no good or no go.n. An abbreviation of New Latin.An abbreviationof New Style, andof New Series.n. An abbreviation of New Testament.An abbreviation of northwest.An abbreviationof Nationalist;in meteor., of nimbus;in chem., of normal, in reference to the strength of a solution; ⁄110 n. stands for one tenth normal strength, or a normal solution diluted tenfold: also written /10 or /10. See normal solution.of name;of the Latin natus, born;of nephew;of new;of women;of nominative;of noon;of Norse;in electrotechnics, of north pole;of note;of Northern Postal District, London.In elec trotechnics, a symbolused by telegraph operators to indicate that a message is completed and that there is nothing more to follow;of the total number of lines of magnetic flux in a circuit;of the frequency of any harmonic or periodic function of the time.n. An abbreviation of New Brunswick; of North Britain; of North British.n. An abbreviation of New Church; of North Carolina.n. An abbreviation of no date.n. An abbreviation of New England;n. of northeast;n. of Northeastern Postal District, London.An abbreviationof Newfoundland;of New French;of Norman French.An abbreviationof New Granada;of Noble Grand.n. An abbreviation of New Hampshire.n. An abbreviation of Native Infantry.n. An abbreviation of New Jersey.n. An abbreviationn. of north latitude;n. of the Latin non licet, it is not permitted;n. of the Latin non liquet, it does not appear, it is doubtful, the case is not clear;n. of the Latin non longe, not far.n. An abbreviationn. of New Mexico;n. of the Latin nux moschata, nutmeg.n. An abbreviationn. of natural order;n. of New Orleans.n. An abbreviationn. of the Latin nisi prius, unless before;n. of Notary Public.n. An abbreviationn. of National Society;n. of New School;n. of New Side; of the French Notre Seigneur, Our Lord;n. of not specified;n. of Nova Scotia;n. of Numismatic Society.n. An abbreviationn. of New Translation;n. of Northern Territory, of South Australia.n. An abbreviation of name unknown.n. An abbreviation of New Version.n. An abbreviationn. of northwestern;n. of Northwestern Postal District, London.n. An abbreviation of New York, city or State.n. Abbreviations of New Zealand.