nano

See also: ñaño, nano-, -nano, nanó-, and Nan'ō

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnænəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænəʊ

Noun

nano (countable and uncountable, plural nanos)

1. (uncountable, often attributive) Clipping of nanotechnology.
   • 2012 May 22, Jacy Meyer, “To Czech Industry, Everything Is Nano”, in The International Herald Tribune‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 10 December 2020:

     The Czech government is actively supporting the nano industry through the participation of ministries and universities in research and development programs.

2. (countable, science fiction) A nanotechnological device, such as a computer
3. (countable, science fiction) A nanoscale device, such as a robot
4. (countable) Clipping of nanosecond.
5. (countable) Clipping of nanometre.

Adjective

nano (not comparable)

1. Clipping of nanoscale.
   • 2021 November 15, “Nanomaterial 'aerographene' used to create extremely powerful pumps”, in Phys.org‎^[2], archived from the original on 22 October 2025:

     "Aerographene" owes this ability to its unique structure at the nano level.

2. Clipping of nanotechnological.

Derived terms

• non-nano

References

• (nanotechnology): OED 2003

Anagrams

• 'onna, Anon, Nona, OANN, Onan, anon, anon., nona-, onna

Asturian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnano/ [ˈna.no]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: na‧no

Adjective

nano

1. neuter singular of nanu

Basque

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Basque, from Latin nānus (“dwarf”), from Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos, “dwarf”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nano/ [na.no]
• Rhymes: -ano, -o
• Hyphenation: na‧no

Adjective

nano (comparative nanoago, superlative nanoen, excessive nanoegi)

1. dwarf, miniature, minuscule

   Synonym: txatxar

Declension

Declension of nano (adjective V-stem)

		indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive		nano	nanoa	nanoak	nanook
ergative		nanok	nanoak	nanoek	nanook
dative		nanori	nanoari	nanoei	nanooi
genitive		nanoren	nanoaren	nanoen	nanoon
comitative		nanorekin	nanoarekin	nanoekin	nanookin
causative		nanorengatik	nanoarengatik	nanoengatik	nanoongatik
benefactive		nanorentzat	nanoarentzat	nanoentzat	nanoontzat
instrumental		nanoz	nanoaz	nanoez	nanootaz
innesive	anim.	nanorengan	nanoarengan	nanoengan	nanoongan
	inan.	nanotan	nanoan	nanoetan	nanootan
locative	anim.	—	—	—	—
	inan.	nanotako	nanoko	nanoetako	nanootako
allative	anim.	nanorengana	nanoarengana	nanoengana	nanoongana
	inan.	nanotara	nanora	nanoetara	nanootara
terminative	anim.	nanorenganaino	nanoarenganaino	nanoenganaino	nanoonganaino
	inan.	nanotaraino	nanoraino	nanoetaraino	nanootaraino
directive	anim.	nanorenganantz	nanoarenganantz	nanoenganantz	nanoonganantz
	inan.	nanotarantz	nanorantz	nanoetarantz	nanootarantz
destinative	anim.	nanorenganako	nanoarenganako	nanoenganako	nanoonganako
	inan.	nanotarako	nanorako	nanoetarako	nanootarako
ablative	anim.	nanorengandik	nanoarengandik	nanoengandik	nanoongandik
	inan.	nanotatik	nanotik	nanoetatik	nanootatik
partitive		nanorik	—	—	—
prolative		nanotzat	—	—	—

Derived terms

• nanotu (“to dwarf”)

Noun

nano inan or anim

1. (animate) dwarf, midget

   Synonym: ipotx

2. (inanimate, astronomy) dwarf star

Declension

Declension of nano (anim/inan V-stem)

		indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive		nano	nanoa	nanoak	nanook
ergative		nanok	nanoak	nanoek	nanook
dative		nanori	nanoari	nanoei	nanooi
genitive		nanoren	nanoaren	nanoen	nanoon
comitative		nanorekin	nanoarekin	nanoekin	nanookin
causative		nanorengatik	nanoarengatik	nanoengatik	nanoongatik
benefactive		nanorentzat	nanoarentzat	nanoentzat	nanoontzat
instrumental		nanoz	nanoaz	nanoez	nanootaz
innesive	anim.	nanorengan	nanoarengan	nanoengan	nanoongan
	inan.	nanotan	nanoan	nanoetan	nanootan
locative	anim.	—	—	—	—
	inan.	nanotako	nanoko	nanoetako	nanootako
allative	anim.	nanorengana	nanoarengana	nanoengana	nanoongana
	inan.	nanotara	nanora	nanoetara	nanootara
terminative	anim.	nanorenganaino	nanoarenganaino	nanoenganaino	nanoonganaino
	inan.	nanotaraino	nanoraino	nanoetaraino	nanootaraino
directive	anim.	nanorenganantz	nanoarenganantz	nanoenganantz	nanoonganantz
	inan.	nanotarantz	nanorantz	nanoetarantz	nanootarantz
destinative	anim.	nanorenganako	nanoarenganako	nanoenganako	nanoonganako
	inan.	nanotarako	nanorako	nanoetarako	nanootarako
ablative	anim.	nanorengandik	nanoarengandik	nanoengandik	nanoongandik
	inan.	nanotatik	nanotik	nanoetatik	nanootatik
partitive		nanorik	—	—	—
prolative		nanotzat	—	—	—

Further reading

• “nano”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “nano”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Catalan

Etymology

Variant of nan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈna.nu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [ˈna.no]

Noun

nano m (plural nanos, feminine nana, feminine plural nanes)

1. synonym of nen (“boy”)
   • 2019 October 16, Manuel Jabois, “Barcelona no crema bé, viatge al final de la nit”, in El País‎^[3]:

     Un grup de manifestants, liderat per nanos emboçats i amb el cap cobert per caputxes de dessuadora fosca i, a 50 metres, una filera de Mossos quiets, parapetats en escuts.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. buddy, kiddo

Further reading

• “nano”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “nano”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin nānus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnano/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: na‧no

Noun

nano (accusative singular nanon, plural nanoj, accusative plural nanojn)

1. dwarf, pygmy
2. (astronomy) dwarf star (star of relatively small size)

Derived terms

• blanka nano
• bruna nano
• glacia nano
• nana
• naneco
• nigra nano
• ruĝa nano

Fula

Noun

nano

1. (Pular, Pulaar) left
2. (Pular) north

   Synonym: (Pulaar) rewo

Adjective

nano

1. (Pular) left

   koyngal nanal ngal ― the left leg

Declension

Declension of nano

Class Pronoun
o	nano
ɓe	nanuɓe
nde	nanere
ndu	nanuru
nge	nane
ngo	nano
ngal	nanal
ngol	nanol
ki	nani
kol	nanol
ɗum	nanum
ndi	naniri
mba	nana
ka	nana
ɗam	nanam
ɗe	nane
ɗi	nani
ngel	nanel
kal	nanal
kun	nanun
ko	nano
koy	nanoy

References

• Oumar Bah, Dictionnaire Pular-Français, Avec un index français-pular, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2014.
• M. Niang, Pulaar-English English-Pulaar Standard Dictionary, New York: Hippocrene Books, 1997.

Italian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈna.no/
• Rhymes: -ano
• Hyphenation: nà‧no

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

nano (feminine nana, masculine plural nani, feminine plural nane)

1. dwarfish

Noun

nano m (plural nani, feminine nana)

1. dwarf, midget
2. (mythology) dwarf
3. (informal, often offensive) shorty (etc.)

Derived terms

• nanerottolo

Further reading

• nano in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• Nona, anno, nona, ànno

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈnaː.noː]

• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈnaː.no]

Noun

nānō

1. dative/ablative singular of nānus

Masbatenyo

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *anu, from Proto-Austronesian *(na-)nu.

Pronoun

nano

1. (interrogative) what

Meriam

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

nano

1. breast

Murui Huitoto

Etymology

Cognates include Minica Huitoto nano and Nüpode Huitoto nano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈnanɔ]
• Hyphenation: na‧no

Adverb

nano

1. first
   • 2008 [1978], Huitoto Murui Bible, 2nd edition, Mateo 1:1, page 5:

     Jesucristo rafuena omoɨmo cue lloiacana jira, naimɨe comɨnɨna nano lloitɨcue.

     Because of my wanting to tell you of the story of Jesus Christ, I will first tell of his people.

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983), Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[4] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 188
• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017), A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[5], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 330

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈnɐ̃.nu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈnɐ̃.nu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈnɐ.no/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈnɐ.nu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈnɐ.nu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈna.nu/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐnu, (Brazil) -ɐ̃nu
• Hyphenation: na‧no

Verb

nano

1. first-person singular present indicative of nanar

Spanish

Etymology

Clipping of enano (“dwarf”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnano/ [ˈna.no]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: na‧no

Noun

nano m (plural nanos)

1. man, dude

Tocharian B

Adverb

nano

1. again, once more