English word origin

Etymology of Nana

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νάνα (Nána).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

A demigoddess, the daughter of Sangarius and mother of Attis.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νάνα (Nána).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionΝάναgrc

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Nana (Greek mythology)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Νάνα"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νάνα (Nána)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Νάνα",
      "Νάνα#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A demigoddess, the daughter of Sangarius and mother of Attis."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Greek"
      ],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

name

An ancient goddess of Eastern Iran, standing at the top of many worshipping cultures' pantheons.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Apparently ultimately from Sumerian 𒀭𒈾𒈾𒀀 (na-na-a) (where the first symbol, 𒀭, is a determinative meaning goddess and has no reading).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mention𒀭𒈾𒈾𒀀sux

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Nana (Bactrian goddess)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sux",
        "3": "𒀭𒈾𒈾𒀀",
        "tr": "na-na-a"
      },
      "expansion": "Sumerian 𒀭𒈾𒈾𒀀 (na-na-a)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "𒀭𒈾𒈾𒀀",
      "𒀭𒈾𒈾𒀀#Sumerian"
    ],
    [
      "determinative",
      "determinative"
    ],
    [
      "goddess",
      "goddess"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient goddess of Eastern Iran, standing at the top of many worshipping cultures' pantheons."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "1308eb54b77b8cd7d420ce2ca4e159ac30f30434b693d593f4dca2361fafbee8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "26060928b2d03af154f6f59b7a21f6c33a87d5c8a071c6a5f2595a822ce3a231",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2641226
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

name

Alternative form of Nane (“Armenian mother-goddess and equivalent of Athena”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Not certain whether directly derived from Armenian Նանե (Nane), or by association with the ancient Iranian goddess of the same name.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionՆանեhy

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Armenian goddess"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hy",
        "3": "Նանե"
      },
      "expansion": "Armenian Նանե (Nane)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Նանե",
      "Նանե#Armenian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Nane (“Armenian mother-goddess and equivalent of Athena”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2641227
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Nana →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-TmFuYQ