English word origin

Etymology of nana

An apheretic form of banana.

4 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 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 ↗

noun

A banana. · A foolish person.

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

An apheretic form of banana.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "apheretic form",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "banana",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "apheretic form of banana"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "banana",
      "banana#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A banana.",
        "A foolish person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "UK",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "3fbfe817c3ab44974555ace8fc714c26e1beaf4f56061a8eafb1551a0355ff9e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6a6d167dbfff7f127bede0ab2d9c3102de58503bea2808fdbbec242e60c3c50a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 220375
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

One's grandmother. · A nanny.

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

Variant spelling of nanna.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "nanna",
      "nanna#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One's grandmother.",
        "A nanny."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "6469fcdcc25b7f2607a6f7b1d6083133da6342cd6bc918326b154937ceb5e0a1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ebf8ff9718ccaae4dfbf582fc336b397e40d91744377c71d5c02ad743363e524",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 220376
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

noun

One's maternal grandfather.

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

From Hindi or Urdu नाना ("nana")

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "नाना",
      "नाना"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One's maternal grandfather."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "countable",
        "informal",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f198a0587d211fbd87492e14020a4fe0a28699b69e7082f82bfce68d9ecec67",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ec30480a35193f9c09e32fe029e5fd69288799897bdfb26b74b59b7d8d50ad33",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 220377
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

One's father.

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

From Telugu నాన్న ("nana", "nanna")

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "నాన్న",
      "నాన్న"
    ],
    [
      "nanna",
      "nanna"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One's father."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "countable",
        "informal",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "364a021e00efc14060ffb0f73004365c50d7475082e99ef27925a07b885d117f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0418487b84b3cd3b5ab5d45b6372ce1529fb9aa8875194a77626f309cef40281",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 220378
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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-bmFuYQ