English word origin

Etymology of Nanna

Uncertain, probably from Old Norse Nanna, with Norse levelling of -nþ- to -nn- from Proto-Germanic *nanþ- (“brave, daring”), related to *ninþaną (“to dare”); or possibly from an Old Norse baby talk word for "mother," as

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 1

Original entry ↗

name

A goddess, the wife of Balder.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionNannanon
Derivation mention*nanþ-gem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "Nanna"
      },
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    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*nanþ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "brave, daring"
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    },
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    [
      "Nanna",
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    ],
    [
      "*nanþ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/nanþ-"
    ],
    [
      "*ninþaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ninþaną"
    ],
    [
      "nanna",
      "nanna#English"
    ],
    [
      "nanny",
      "nanny#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "A goddess, the wife of Balder."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

The god of the moon in Sumerian mythology.

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

Learned borrowing from Sumerian 𒀭𒋀𒆠 (ᵈnanna /⁠Nanna⁠/).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Learned-borrowing mention𒀭𒋀𒆠sux

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sux",
        "3": "𒀭𒋀𒆠",
        "tr": "ᵈnanna",
        "ts": "Nanna"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Sumerian 𒀭𒋀𒆠 (ᵈnanna /⁠Nanna⁠/)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "𒀭𒋀𒆠",
      "𒀭𒋀𒆠#Sumerian"
    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Italian.

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

Borrowed from Italian Nanna.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "it:Nanna",
        "text": "+",
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      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Italian\", \"term\" : \"Nanna\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"it\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Nanna\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Nanna\">\nBorrowed from Italian Nanna."
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      "args": {
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        "2": ":bor",
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      "expansion": "Borrowed from Italian Nanna."
    }
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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 Nanna →

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-TmFubmE