- nitrogen cycle n. 1. Ecology The circulation of nitrogen in nature, consisting of a cycle of chemical reactions in which atmospheric nitrogen is compounded, dissolved in rain, and deposited in the soil, where it is assimilated and metabolized by bacteria and plants, eventually returning to the atmosphere by bacterial decomposition of organic matter. - nitwit n. A stupid or silly person. - nix2 Slang n. Nothing. adv. Not so; no. tr.v. To forbid, refuse, or veto: Congress nixed the tax hike. - nixie or nixy n. Slang A misaddressed or illegibly addressed piece of mail, therefore undeliverable. - no-account adj. Informal Worthless; good-for-nothing: my no-account brother-in-law. - nob1 n. 1. Slang The human head. - nob2 n. Ciefly British Slang A person of wealth or social standing: "The nobs were forever snubbing the snobs." - nobble tr.v. Chiefly British 1. To disable (a racehorse), especially by drugging. 2. To win (a person) over. 3. To outdo or get the better of by devious means. 4. To filch or steal. 5. To kidnap. -nobbler n. - nobby adj. Fashionable; stylish. - nobiliary adj. Of or relating to the nobility. - nobiliary particle n. A preposition used as a mark of noble rank before a title or surname, as German von in Christian von Wolf and French de in Simone de Beauvoir. - noble gas n. Any of the elements in Group O of the periodic table, including helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, whcih are monatomic and with limited exceptions chemically inert. Also called inert gas. - noble metal n. A metal or alloy, such as gold, that is highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion. - noble rot n. A parasitic fungus that attacks ripe grapes and causes an increase in their sugar content. Certain wines, such as the French Sauternes and the Hungarian Tokay, are produced from such grapes. - noblesse oblige n. Benevolent, honorable behavior considered to be the responsibility of persons of high birth or rank. - noctilucent adj. Luminous at night. Used especially of certain high clouds. - nocturnal emission n. An involuntary ejaculation of semen during sleep. - nocuous adj. Harmful; noxious. - nod v. -intr. 3. To be careless or momentarily inattentive as if sleepy; lapse: Even Homer nodes. - noddle n. The head. - noddy n. 1. A dunce or fool; a simpleton. 2. Any of several terns found in tropical waters. - nodose adj. Charcterized by or having many nodes or protuberances, jointed or knobby at intervals. - nodus n. A difficult situation or problem; a complication. - Noel n. 1. Christmas. 2. A Christmas carol. - no-fault adj. 1. Of, indicating, or being a system of motor vehicle insurance in which accident victims are compensated by their insurance companies without assignment of blame. 2. Law Of, indicating, or being a type of divorce in which blame is assigned to neither party. - no-frills adj. Informal Marked by the absence of extra or special features; basic: no-frills housing; no-frills airline service. - nog n. 1. A wooden block built into a masonry wall to hold nails that support joinery structures. 2. A wooden peg or pin. - noggin n. 1. A small mug or cup. 2. A unit of liquid measure equal to one quarter of a pint. 3. Slang The human head. - nogging n. 1. Brickwork used to fill in the open spaces in a wall between studs or or [sic] other framing members. 2. A short horizontal wooden beam used to strengthen upright posts in the framework of a wall. - noisome adj. 1. Offensive to the point of arousing disgust; foul: a noisome odor. 2. Harmful or dangerous: noisome fumes. - nolens volens adv. Whether willing or unwilling. - nolle prosequi n. Abbr. nol. pros. A declaration that the plaintiff in a civil case or the prosecutor in a criminal case will drop prosecution of all or part of a suit or indictment. - nolo contendere n. A plea made by the defendant in a criminal action that is substantially but not technically an admission of guilt and subjects the defendant to punishment but permits denial of the alleged facts in other proceedings. - no-load adj. Business Sold directly to customers at net asset value without a sales commission: a no-load mutual fund. - no-lose adj. Slang Certain to end happily or successfully. - nominal quote n. The approximate price of a security when there is no firm bid or asking price. Also called subject quote. - nonage n. 1. The period during which one is legally underage. 2. A period of immaturity: "The Bravest achievements were always accomplished in the nonage of a nation." - nonagenarian n. A person 90 years old or between 90 and 100. - nonbank adj. Of, relating to, or done by a business or an institution that is not a bank but performs similar services. - nonbook n. A book having little or no literary merit or substance, often published to exploit a fad. adj. Of, relating to, or being something other than a book, such as microfilm in a library. - nonce n. The present or particular occasion: "Her tendency to discover a touch of sadness had for the nonce disappeared." - nonce word n. A word occurring, invented, or used just for a particular occasion; for example, the word mileconsuming in "the wagon beginning to fall into its slow and mileconsuming clatter." - non compos mentis adj. Not of sound mind and hence not legally responsible; mentally incompetent. - nondescript adj. Lacking distinctive qualities; having no individual character or form. - nonesuch also nonsuch n. 1. A person or thing without equal. - nonevent Informal An anticipated or highly publicized event that does not occur or proves anticlimactic or boring. - nonself n. That which the immune system identifies as foreign to the body. - nonstarter n. 1. One that fails to start. 2. An idea, proposal, or candidate with no chance of being accepted or successful: "Many lawmakers are pronouncing the budget a nonstarter. - non-U adj. Chiefly British Not characteristic of the upper class, especially in language usage. |