n. an abbreviation of nominal. nag ["nAg] 1. tv. to continue to bother someone; to demand, by complaining all the time, that someone do something. 2. iv. to continue to be a bother and a pest by making demands. nag at someone (about someone or something ) to pester someone about someone or something. nail ["nel] 1. n. a thin rod of metal, pointed on one end. 2. n. one of the hard, flat tips at the ends of fingers and toes. 3. tv. to attach or secure something with Q. → (as) hard as nails → bite one’s nails → fight someone or something tooth and nail → go at it tooth and nail → hit the nail (right) on the head nail in someone’s or something’s coffin something that will harm or destroy someone or something. nail someone down (on some- thing ) Go to pin someone down (on something ). nail something up 1. to put some- thing up, as on a wall, by nailing. 2. to nail something closed; to use nails to secure something from intruders. naked ["nek @d] adj. nude; wearing no clothes. → with the naked eye name ["nem] 1. n. the word that indicates someone, something, or someplace. 2. n. [someone’s] fame or reputation. 3. n. someone who is famous or important. 4. tv. to give or apply a name as in Q to someone, something, or some- place. 5. tv. to state or recite the Q of someone or something. 6. tv. to appoint someone; to choose some- one or something. → drop names → drop someone’s name → drop the name of someone → first name → in name only → worthy of the name nap ["nAp] 1. iv. to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day. 2. n. a short amount of sleep, especially during the day. 3. n. the upright threads of a car- pet or of a piece of material, such as velvet. (No plural.) → catch someone napping → take a nap nape ["nep] n. the back [of the neck]. → by the nape of the neck napkin ["nAp kIn] n. a square of fabric or paper used for protecting one’s clothes and keeping tidy at meals. narrate ["nEr et] 1. tv. to tell a story. 2. iv. to tell about events that are being shown in a film, a slide show, on television, or in some other performance setting. narrow ["nEr o] 1. adj. not wide; short from side to side in compari- son with the length of something from one end to the other. (Adv: narrowly. Comp: narrower; sup: narrowest.) 2. adj. limited; not broad. (Figurative on Q. Adv: narrowly. Comp: narrower; sup: narrowest.) 3. tv. to cause some- thing to become Q. 4. iv. to become Q. 5. iv. to become W. 376 N 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 376 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK narrow something down (to peo- ple or things ) to reduce a list of possibilities from many to a selected few. nasal ["nez @l] 1. adj. of or about the nose. (Adv: nasally.) 2. adj. of the quality of sound heard when making the speech sounds [m], [n], or [ N]. (Adv: nasally.) 3. n. a speech sound, such as [m] or [n], made by opening the passage to the nose at the back of the throat. nasty ["nAs ti] 1. adj. mean; angry; unpleasant. (Adv: nastily. Comp: nastier; sup: nastiest.) 2. adj. dirty- minded; offensive to one’s morals. (Adv: nastily. Comp: nastier; sup: nastiest.) 3. adj. very serious; bad; dangerous. (Adv: nastily. Comp: nastier; sup: nastiest.) 4. adj. not pleasant to see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. (Adv: nastily. Comp: nastier; sup: nastiest.) nation ["ne S@n] 1. n. a country; a country that governs itself. 2. n. the people of a country; a group of people who are ruled by the same government. national ["nAS @ n@l] 1. adj. of or about a nation; belonging to a nation; throughout a nation. (Adv: nationally.) 2. n. a citizen of a spe- cific nation or a particular group of nations. nationality [nAS @ "nAl @ ti] n. the status that arises from having citi- zenship in a particular country or being born in a particular country. native ["ne tIv] 1. n. something that comes from a certain country or region. 2. n. someone born in a particular place. 3. adj. born or raised in a certain country or region; belonging to a certain country or region. (Adv: natively.) Native American ["ne tIv @ "mEr @ k@n ] 1. n. a person belonging to one of the groups of people that lived in North America when the Europeans arrived; an American Indian. (Often capitalized, but sometimes seen as native Ameri- can.) 2. the adj. use of Q. native to someplace originating in or existing naturally in a certain country or region. natural ["nAtS @ r@l] 1. adj. made by nature; existing in nature; not arti- ficial; not made by people; not affected by people. (Adv: naturally.) 2. adj. existing since birth; not learned. (Adv: naturally.) 3. n. someone who is thought of as perfect for a certain job; someone who does something very well, especially through inborn ability. 4. n. a musical note that is not a sharp or a flat; one of the white keys on the piano. nature ["ne tS#] 1. n. everything in the world except the material products of human work and thought: people, animals, plants, rocks, land, water, the weather, etc. (No plural.) 2. n. land that has not been affected by humans. (No plural.) 3. n. [someone’s or some- thing’s] character; the essential qualities of someone or some- thing; what someone or something really is. → call of nature → second nature to someone nausea ["nO zi @] n. a feeling of sickness; the feeling that one has to vomit. (No plural.) nausea 377 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 377 TLFeBOOK nauseous ["nO S@s, "nO zi @s] 1. adj. causing nausea; sickening; causing someone to feel sick. (Adv: nau- seously.) 2. adj. experiencing nau- sea; sickened. (Adv: nauseously.) nautical ["nOt I k@l] adj. of or about ships, shipping, or sailors. (Adv: nautically [ Ik li].) nautical mile ["nOt I k@l "maIl] n. a measurement of distance at sea equal to about 1.15 miles on land. naval ["ne v@l] adj. of or about a navy. navel ["ne v@l] n. the depression in the center of the belly where a baby is attached to its mother until shortly after birth. navigate ["nAv @ get] 1. tv. to steer a ship, airplane, or other vehicle in some direction. 2. tv. to travel or follow a route on the water, over land, or in the air. 3. iv. to deter- mine the proper direction or route. navigation [nAv @ "ge S@n] n. the rules, skills, and science of navi- gating. (No plural.) navy ["nev i] n. the branch of the military that deals with protecting the sea or fighting at sea. near ["nIr] 1. prep. at a place that is not far away from someone or something; at a time that is not far away from something. 2. adj. close in distance, time, relationship, or effect. (Comp: nearer; sup: near- est.) 3. adv. at or to a place that is not far away; at or to a time that is not too distant. (Comp: nearer; sup: nearest.) 4. tv. to come closer to someone or something; to approach someone or something. 5. iv. to come closer in time or space; to approach. → draw near → draw near (to someone or something ) nearby ["nIr "baI] 1. adv. near; close; not far away. 2. adj. near; close; not far away. nearly ["nIr li] adv. almost; not quite. neat ["nit] adj. clean; tidy; orderly. (Adv: neatly. Comp: neater; sup: neatest.) necessary ["nEs @ sEr i] adj. required; needed. (Adv: necessarily [ nEs @ "sEr @ li].) → deem it (to be) necessary → deem that it is necessary necessity [n@ "sEs @ ti] 1. n. the quality of being necessary or needed. (No plural.) 2. n. some- thing that is required; something that is needed or necessary. neck ["nEk] 1. n. the narrow part of the body that connects the head to the rest of the body; the outside of the throat. 2. n. the narrowest part of something; something narrow that connects two things. (Figura- tive on Q.) → break one’s neck (to do something ) → breathe down someone’s neck → a millstone about one’s neck → by the nape of the neck → risk one’s neck (to do something ) → stick one’s neck out → up to one’s neck (in something ) → a yoke around someone’s neck neck and neck exactly even, espe- cially in a race or a contest. necklace ["nEk l@s] n. a decorative band, chain, or similar object that is worn around the neck. nauseous 378 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 378 TLFeBOOK necktie ["nEk taI] n. a specially made strip of decorative cloth, typically worn under the collar of a man’s shirt. (Also a tie. Origi- nally served the purpose of keep- ing the collar closed.) need ["nid] 1. n. something that is required or necessary; something that must be done or had; a requirement. 2. tv. to require something; to have to have some- thing; to want something for a cer- tain reason. → in need (of something ) need something yesterday to require something in a very big hurry. (Informal.) need to do something to have to do something. needle ["nid @l] 1. n. a thin, pointed spike of metal having a narrow slit that thread fits through, used for sewing. 2. n. a thin, hollow, pointed spike of metal used for injecting and removing body fluids. 3. n. a thin, pointed spike used to show a posi- tion on a scale or meter. 4. n. the part of a record player that “rides” on a (vinyl) record as it is played. 5. n. a long, thin, sharply pointed leaf of a pine tree. 6. n. a long, thin, sharp thorn as found on a cactus. 7. tv. to annoy someone. → like looking for a needle in a haystack → on pins and needles → pins and needles needlework ["nid @l w#k] n. crafts that are done with a needle, such as sewing. (No plural.) needy ["nid i] adj. [of someone] very poor; [of someone] needing the basic things in life. (Adv: need- ily. Comp: needier; sup: neediest.) the needy n. people who are poor. (No plural. Treated as plural, but not countable.) negative ["nEg @ tIv] 1. adj. mean- ing “not” or “no”; expressing “not” or “no”; showing refusal or denial. (Adv: negatively.) 2. adj. not posi- tive; the opposite of positive; lack- ing something that makes a thing positive; not good. (Adv: nega- tively.) 3. adj. less than zero; minus; below the number zero. 4. adj. cynical; not having hope; having a sad or gloomy outlook. (Adv: negatively.) 5. adj. showing that a certain disease or condition is not present. (Adv: negatively.) 6. adj. [of some part of an electri- cal circuit] lower in electrical charge than other points in the same circuit, allowing electrical energy to flow from other parts of the circuit. (Adv: negatively.) 7. n. a word or statement that means “not” or “no.” 8. n. a piece of film (for photography). 9. n. a quality or factor that is W. neglect [nI "glEkt] 1. tv. not to take care of someone or something; not to pay attention to someone or something; to ignore someone or something. 2. n. the lack of taking care of someone or something; a lack of paying attention to some- one or something. (No plural.) neglect to do something to forget to do something; to fail to do something. negotiate [n@ "go Si et] 1. iv. to dis- cuss the matters that need to be settled before reaching an agree- negotiate 379 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 379 TLFeBOOK ment. 2. tv. to make an agreement through discussions as in Q. 3. tv. to move around or through a diffi- cult route successfully. neighbor ["ne b#] 1. n. someone who lives very close by. 2. n. some- one who is sitting or standing next to oneself. → next-door neighbor neighborhood ["ne b# hUd] 1. n. a specific area within a larger city or town where people live. 2. n. the people who live in a certain area of the city. → ( somewhere ) in the neighborhood of something → in the neighborhood of something neither ["ni D#] 1. adj. not either; not one person or thing nor the other; not either of two people or things. 2. pron. not either; not either one (of two people or things). (Treated as singular.) 3. conj. not. (Used before a sequence of two words or phrases connected by nor.) neither does someone [someone does] not either. neither fish nor fowl not any rec- ognizable thing. neither hide nor hair no sign or indication (of someone or some- thing.) nephew ["nEf ju] n. the son of one’s brother or sister; the son of one’s spouse’s brother or sister. nerve ["n#v] 1. n. a fiber in the body that carries messages to and from the brain. 2. n. courage; bravery. (No plural.) → get on someone’s nerves → get up enough nerve (to do something ) → grate on someone ( ’s nerves) → of all the nerve ness [n@s] suffix a form that can be added freely to adjectives to create a noun with a parallel meaning. nest ["nEst] 1. n. a structure made of twigs that is built by a bird as a shelter for its eggs and that is typi- cally rounded and bowl-shaped. 2. n. a place where certain animals live with their young. 3. iv. to build or live in Q or W. → feather one’s (own) nest → foul one’s own nest → stir up a hornet’s nest nestle down (in something ) to set- tle down in something; to snuggle into something, such as a bed. nestle (up) against someone or something and nestle up (to someone or something ) to lie close to someone or something; to cud- dle up to someone or something. nestle up (to someone or some- thing ) Go to nestle (up) against someone or something. net ["nEt] 1. n. a piece of mesh fab- ric—made of string, wire, or cord and sometimes attached to some- thing—that is typically used to catch, trap, or block something. 2. n. a system for fast electronic communication connecting peo- ple, businesses, and institutions. (Short for Internet. Usually capi- talized.) 3. adj. remaining after all factors have been considered, deducted, or added, as with weight, income, cost, effect, results, outcome, etc. network ["nEt w#k] 1. n. a pattern of crossing lines, paths, or similar structures; a system of lines, paths, neighbor 380 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 380 TLFeBOOK or similar structures that are con- nected together. 2. n. a group of computers connected to each other and the systems that connect them. 3. n. a group of radio or television stations that broadcast the same programs. 4. n. a collec- tion of friends or business con- tacts. 5. iv. to make social and business contacts; to talk with people in one’s area of business or interest. neurotic [nU "rat Ik] 1. adj. of or about a mild psychological prob- lem or illness, such as having obsessions or irrational fears; affected by such a problem or ill- ness. (Adv: neurotically [ Ik li].) 2. n. someone who has irrational fears or obsessions or some other mild psychological problem or ill- ness. neuter ["nut #] 1. adj. neither mas- culine nor feminine; not having a sex E. 2. adj. [of a class of words] not masculine or feminine. neutral ["nu tr@l] 1. adj. not joining with either side in a war, conflict, or argument. (Adv: neutrally.) 2. adj. at neither extreme; in the middle of a scale. (Adv: neutrally.) → in neutral never ["nEv #] adv. not ever; at no time. → go and never darken one’s door again new ["nu] 1. adj. recently done, made, bought, acquired, discov- ered, or built; not existing or known of before. (Adv: newly. Comp: newer; sup: newest. See also news.) 2. adj. the more recent of two or more things. (Comp: newer; sup: newest.) 3. adj. not familiar; strange; unknown. (Adv: newly. Comp: newer; sup: newest.) 4. adj. different; changed. (Adv: newly. Comp: newer; sup: newest.) 5. adj. beginning again; starting over. (Adv: newly. Comp: newer; sup: newest.) → break new ground → feel like a new person → ring in the new year → turn over a new leaf new blood Go to fresh blood. a new lease on life a renewed and revitalized outlook on life; a new start in living. a new one on someone something that one has not heard before and that one is not ready to believe. (Informal. The someone is often me.) newcomer ["nu k@m #] n. someone who has recently arrived at a cer- tain place. newly ["nu li] adv. recently; as of late; just. newlywed ["nu li wEd] n. someone who has recently married. news ["nuz] 1. n. information, par- ticularly current information about a person or a recent event. (Treated as singular. No other sin- gular form in this sense.) 2. n. a television or radio program where information about recent events is broadcast. (Treated as singular. No other singular form in this sense.) → break the news (to someone ) newspaper ["nuz pe p#] n. a daily or weekly publication consisting of news, articles, and advertisements printed on large sheets of paper. newspaper 381 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 381 TLFeBOOK newt ["nut] n. a small amphibian with four legs and a tail. next ["nEkst] 1. adj. following; nearest in sequence after; soonest after. 2. adj. located in the nearest position to something; [of some- one or something] beside someone or something [else]. 3. adv. at the soonest time after now; in the nearest place or position after this one. → someone’s next of kin next door ["nEks "dor] in or at the house or apartment next to one’s own. (Hyphenated before a nomi- nal.) next to nothing hardly anything; almost nothing. next to someone or something very near to someone or something; beside someone or something. next-door neighbor ["nEks dor "ne b# ] n. the person living in the house or apartment closest to one’s own. nice ["naIs] 1. adj. pleasant; agree- able; enjoyable. (Adv: nicely. Comp: nicer; sup: nicest.) 2. adj. kind; friendly. (Adv: nicely. Comp: nicer; sup: nicest.) 3. adj. good; clever; well done. (Informal. Adv: nicely. Comp: nicer; sup: nicest.) nice and some quality enough of some quality; adequately; suffi- ciently. nick ["nIk] 1. n. a small dent or chip on the surface of something. 2. tv. to put or cause a small dent or chip on the surface of something. → in the nick of time nickel ["nIk @l] 1. n. a metallic ele- ment that does not rust easily. (No plural.) 2. n. a U.S. coin worth five cents. nickname ["nIk nem] 1. n. a sec- ondary, familiar, or intimate name for someone or something. 2. tv. to give someone, something, or someplace a nickname as in Q. niece ["nis] n. the daughter of one’s brother or sister; the daughter of one’s spouse’s brother or sister. night ["naIt] 1. n. the time between sunset and sunrise; the darkness between sunset and sunrise; night- time. (No plural.) 2. n. the period of time between sunset and mid- night. 3. n. a specific Q or W when something happens or is planned. 4. n. a unit of measure based on the number of nights Q but also including the period of time between nights Q. (E.g., stay at a hotel for seven nights.) 5. adj. happening during Q or W. → all night long → (as) different as night and day → by night → the morning after (the night before) → ships that pass in the night night owl ["naIt aUl] n. someone who stays up late at night; some- one who works at night. nightclub ["naIt kl@b] n. a bar or club open at night where there is entertainment, dancing, perform- ances, etc. nightgown ["naIt gaUn] n. an item of clothing like a dress, usually for women, that is worn in bed. nightlife ["naIt laIf] n. entertain- ment and social activities that take place during the night. (No plu- ral.) newt 382 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 382 TLFeBOOK nightmare ["naIt mEr] 1. n. a frightening dream. 2. n. a real event that is frightening or awful. (Figurative on Q.) nights adv. every night; during every night; only at night. nighttime ["naIt taIm] 1. n. the time during the night; the time from after sunset until sunrise. (No plural.) 2. the adj. use of Q. nine ["naIn] 9. Go to four. → on cloud nine nine days’ wonder something that is of interest to people only for a short time. nineteen ["naIn "tin] 19. Go to four. nineteenth ["naIn "tinT] 19th. Go to fourth. ninetieth ["naIn ti @T] 90th. Go to fourth. ninety ["naIn ti] 90. Go to forty. ninth ["naInT] 9th. Go to fourth. nip ["nIp] 1. tv. to pinch or bite someone or something. 2. tv. to remove something by pinching or biting. nip and tuck [of two people or things moving] almost even; almost tied. nip something in the bud to put an end to something at an early stage. nitwit ["nIt wIt] n. an idiot; some- one who is foolish or stupid. nix ["nIks] tv. to put a stop to some- thing; to end something; to reject something. no ["no] 1. adj. not any; not a; not one; not any amount of. 2. adv. a word that is used as an answer to show that one does not agree. 3. adv. a word that is used to stress a negative statement. 4. n. a nega- tive answer. (Plural ends in -s or -es.) no (ifs, ands, or) buts about it absolutely no discussion, dissen- sion, or doubt about something. no joke a serious matter. (Infor- mal.) no laughing matter a serious matter. no point in doing something no purpose in doing something. no skin off someone’s nose Go to no skin off someone’s teeth. no skin off someone’s teeth and no skin off someone’s nose no difficulty for someone; no concern of someone. no spring chicken no longer young. nobility [no "bIl @ ti] n. dignity; the quality of being noble. (No plu- ral.) noble ["nob @l] 1. adj. refined; moral; showing dignity. (Adv: nobly. Comp: nobler; sup: noblest.) 2. the adj. use of Q. (Adv: nobly. Comp: nobler; sup: noblest.) 3. adj. [of a chemical element] not able to mix with other elements; [of a chemical element] not able to react with other elements. 4. n. a member of the nobility. nobody ["no bad i] 1. pron. no per- son; no one; not anybody. (No plural.) 2. n. someone who is not important; someone who has no power. nobody’s fool a sensible and wise person who is not easily deceived. nobody’s fool 383 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 383 TLFeBOOK nod ["nad] 1. n. a quick downward or up-and-down movement of the head, usually to show agreement. 2. tv. to express something by moving one’s head as in R. 3. tv. to move one’s head in agreement as in R. 4. iv. to move one’s head down, or up and down, quickly, especially to show agreement or approval, or as a greeting. 5. iv. to let one’s head jerk down as one begins to fall asleep. 6. iv. [for one’s head] to jerk down as one begins to fall asleep while sitting or standing. → get the nod → the land of Nod nod off to fall asleep. (Informal.) noise ["noIz] n. annoying or unwanted sound. (Plural only for types and instances.) noisy ["noIz i] adj. [of a sound or of someone or something making sounds] loud; [of someone or something] making much noise. (Adv: noisily. Comp: noisier; sup: noisiest.) nominal ["nam @ n@l] 1. n. a noun or expression that can serve as the subject of a sentence, the direct or indirect object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. (Abbrevi- ated n. here.) 2. adj. functioning as Q. (Adv: nominally.) 3. adj. in name only; in theory, but not in reality. (Adv: nominally.) 4. adj. [of a fee or charge] very small, especially as compared with what something is worth. (Adv: nomi- nally.) none ["n^n] 1. pron. not one; not any; no person; no thing. 2. pron. not one part; no part. none of someone’s business not of someone’s concern. none other than someone the very person. none the wiser not knowing any more. none the worse for wear no worse because of use or effort. none too not very; not at all. nonflammable [nan "flAm @ b@l] adj. difficult to burn; impossible to burn; not flammable. (Adv: nonflammably.) nonprofit [nan "praf It] adj. not making a profit; not organized or established for the purpose of making money. nonsense ["nan sEns] n. something that does not make sense; some- thing that is foolish. (No plural.) → stuff and nonsense nonstop ["nan "stap] 1. adj. with- out stopping or pausing; continu- ous. 2. adv. without stopping; continuously. noodle ["nud l] n. a strip or piece of pasta. noon ["nun] n. the time in the mid- dle of the day between morning and afternoon; 12:00 in the day- time; midday. (No plural.) noonday ["nun de] adj. happening at noon; happening in the middle of the day. (Prenominal only.) noontime ["nun taIm] 1. n. noon; the middle of the day. (No plural.) 2. adj. happening at noon; hap- pening in the middle of the day. (Prenominal only.) nod 384 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 384 TLFeBOOK noose ["nus] n. a loop tied at the end of a rope, used to trap or hang someone or something. nor ["nor] conj. a word used to con- nect a series of persons or things that are not options or possibili- ties. nor does someone someone does not either; neither does someone. the norm [ "norm] n. the normal or expected amount, quality, or way. (No plural.) normal ["nor m@l] 1. adj. regular; typical; usual; expected. (Adv: normally.) 2. adj. sane; not sick in the mind. (Adv: normally.) north ["norT] 1. n. the direction to the left of someone or something facing the rising sun. (No plural.) 2. n. the northern part of a region, country, or planet. (No plural form. Capitalized when referring to a specific region of the United States.) 3. adj. at Q; in W; on the side toward Q; facing toward Q. 4. adj. from Q. (Used especially to describe wind.) 5. adv. toward Q; into the northern part of something. north pole ["norT "pol] 1. n. the point in the Arctic that is as far north as it is possible to go. 2. n. the actual location of Q. (Capital- ized.) northeast [norT "ist] 1. n. a direc- tion halfway between north and east. (No plural.) 2. n. an area in the northeastern part of a city, region, or country. (No plural. Capitalized when referring to a specific region of the United States.) 3. adj. in W; toward Q; facing Q. 4. adj. [of wind] blow- ing from Q. 5. adv. toward Q. northeastern [norT "ist #n] adj. in the northeast; toward the north- east; facing northeast. northern ["nor D#n] 1. adj. in the north; toward the north; facing the north. 2. adj. [of wind] blow- ing from the north. northwest [norT "wEst] 1. n. a direction halfway between north and west. (No plural.) 2. n. an area in the northwestern part of a country. (No plural. Capitalized when referring to a region of the United States.) 3. adj. in W; toward Q; facing Q. 4. adj. [of wind] blowing from Q. 5. adv. toward Q. northwestern [norT "wEs t#n] adj. in the northwest; toward the northwest; facing northwest. nose ["noz] 1. n. the structure between the mouth and the eyes in humans, being the organ used for smelling and breathing, and a sim- ilar structure in other animals. 2. n. the sense of smell; Q used for smelling something. 3. n. the front end of an airplane, a rocket, a ship, or some other similar thing. (Figurative on Q.) → (as) plain as the nose on one’s face → blow one’s nose → can’t see beyond the end of one’s nose → count noses → cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face → have a nose for something → have one’s nose in a book → keep one’s nose to the grindstone → no skin off someone’s nose nose 385 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 385 TLFeBOOK . something. no skin off someone’s nose Go to no skin off someone’s teeth. no skin off someone’s teeth and no skin off someone’s nose no difficulty for someone; no concern of someone. no spring. citizen of a spe- cific nation or a particular group of nations. nationality [nAS @ "nAl @ ti] n. the status that arises from having citi- zenship in a particular country or being born in a particular. negatively.) 6. adj. [of some part of an electri- cal circuit] lower in electrical charge than other points in the same circuit, allowing electrical energy to flow from other parts of the circuit.