nous

English

Alternative forms

• noos

Etymology

From Ancient Greek νοῦς ‎(noûs) or νόος ‎(nóos, “mind”).

Pronunciation

Wikipedia

• (UK) enPR: nous, IPA^(key): /naʊs/
• Rhymes: -aʊs

• (US) enPR: noo͞s, IPA^(key): /nuːs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

nous

1. (philosophy) The mind or intellect, reason, both rational and emotional
   • 1900, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, On the Disastrous Spread of Aestheticism in all Classes

     I feel the will to roam, to learn

     By test, experience, nous,

     That fire is hot and ocean deep,

     And wolves carnivorous.

2. In Neoplatonism, the divine reason, regarded as first divine emanation.
3. Common sense; practical intelligence.

Related terms

• paranoia
• noesis
• noology
• noosphere
• nootropic

Translations

reason in philosophy

• Dutch: nous (nl) n
• French: nous (fr) m

• German: Nous
• Swedish: nous (sv), förnuft (sv)

Anagrams

• onus

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Catalan

Etymology 1

Adjective

nous

1. masculine plural of nou (new)

Etymology 2

Noun

nous

1. plural of nou (nines)

Etymology 3

Noun

nous

1. plural of nou (nuts)

Etymology 4

Verb

nous

1. second-person singular present indicative form of noure

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French

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /nu/
• Homophone: noue

Etymology 1

From Middle French nous, from Old French nous, nos, from Latin nōs, from Proto-Italic *nōs.

Pronoun

nous

1. The plural personal pronoun in the first person:
   1. (subject pronoun) we.
   2. (object pronoun) us, to us.

Related terms

French personal pronouns

Number	Person	Gender	Nominative (subject)	Reflexive	Accusative (direct complement)	Dative (indirect complement)	Locative (at)	Genitive (of)	Disjunctive (tonic)
Singular	First	—	je, j’	me, m’			—	—	moi
	Second	—	tu	te, t’			—	—	toi
	Third	Masculine	il	se, s’	le, l’	lui	y	en	lui
		Feminine	elle		la, l’				elle
		—	on		—	—	—	—	soi
Plural	First	—	nous	nous			—	—	nous
	Second	—	vous	vous			—	—	vous
	Third	Masculine	ils	se, s’	les	leur	y	en	eux
		Feminine	elles						elles

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek νοῦς ‎(noûs) or νόος ‎(nóos, “mind”).

Noun

nous m ‎(plural nous)

1. The nous, (divine) reason in philosophy.

External links

• “nous” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French nous.

Pronoun

nous

1. we (subject pronoun)
2. ourselves (reflexive pronoun)

Descendants

• French: nous

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin nōs.

Pronoun

nous

1. Alternative form of nos

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Picard

Etymology

From Old French nous.

Pronoun

nous

1. we