*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nano

From nano-, from Latin nānus, from Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of nanotechnology. · A nanotechnological device, such as a computer · A nanoscale device, such as a robot · Clipping of nanosecond.

adj

Clipping of nanoscale. · Clipping of nanotechnological.

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

From nano-, from Latin nānus, from Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "nānus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin nānus"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "νᾶνος"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nano-",
      "nano-#English"
    ],
    [
      "nānus",
      "nanus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "νᾶνος",
      "νᾶνος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of nanotechnology.",
        "A nanotechnological device, such as a computer",
        "A nanoscale device, such as a robot",
        "Clipping of nanosecond."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "attributive",
        "clipping",
        "often",
        "uncountable",
        "countable"
      ],
      "recordId": "4193d7d01ec87f74938fa40358e6624b62954542abbe6eed6191af962e9c98e6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9eee30b197cd652e4b0c185a565be0933f70b55c028e4f2b8604c7e0069bcac7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186072
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of nanoscale.",
        "Clipping of nanotechnological."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "ad75960c35ac9c93c9b3a1b4d864d5e495893ea6aa4e32bf7869ed1278237170",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b95599e8bb23754e715e5d15e65170d97172b980159356fe7d1d35b9ac2984b3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186073
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "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 nano →

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-bmFubw