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GNU

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Gnu, gnu, gnú, and gnû

English

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Etymology 1

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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GNU (plural GNUs)

  1. (politics) Abbreviation of government of national unity.
    • 2024 May 30, Sarah Dean and David McKenzie, “First results in South Africa’s election suggest it is heading for biggest political shift since apartheid”, in CNN[2]:
      This scenario would hark back to the post-apartheid era when South Africa operated under a GNU to oversee the new constitution, led by Mandela as president and FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki as deputy presidents, between April 1994 and February 1997.

Etymology 2

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GNU project logo

Coined by Richard Stallman in 1983 as a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix”, following convention of naming programs similar to or inspired by existing programs as “(New Name) Is Not (Old Name)”; compare Xinu.

Specifically influenced by lack of English words of form ?nu (“?NU is Not Unix”), that gnu is the alphabetically first (and in fact only) English word of the form ?nu (“?’s Not Unix”), that gnu was perceived as a humorous word, and the existence of the song “The Gnu”.[1]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɡəˈn(j)uː/[2], (uncommon) /ˈd͡ʒiːˌɛnˈjuː/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -uː
  • Homophone: gnu (one pronunciation)

Proper noun

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GNU

  1. The Free Software Foundation's project to develop a free UNIX-like operating system, including the legal framework, such as the source code and documentation licenses.
Derived terms
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References

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  1. ^ Richard Stallman (9 March 2006), “The Free Software Movement and the Future of Freedom: The name "GNU"”, in Free Software Foundation Europe[1], archived from the original on 16 March 2015
  2. ^ How To Pronounce GNU”, in GNU Project, 2010

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Hungarian

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Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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GNU

  1. (computing) GNU

Declension

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Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative GNU
accusative GNU-t
dative GNU-nak
instrumental GNU-val
causal-final GNU-ért
translative GNU-vá
terminative GNU-ig
essive-formal GNU-ként
essive-modal
inessive GNU-ban
superessive GNU-n
adessive GNU-nál
illative GNU-ba
sublative GNU-ra
allative GNU-hoz
elative GNU-ból
delative GNU-ról
ablative GNU-tól
non-attributive
possessive – singular
GNU-é
non-attributive
possessive – plural
GNU-éi
Possessive forms of GNU
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. GNU-m
2nd person sing. GNU-d
3rd person sing. GNU-ja
1st person plural GNU-nk
2nd person plural GNU-tok
3rd person plural GNU-juk