Words starting with N

240 words from the Lexfall vocabulary, each with a definition and an example sentence.

nabob A person of great wealth or prominence, especially one who acquired a fortune abroad.
nacreous Having the soft, shifting pearly lustre of mother-of-pearl.
nadir The lowest or most wretched point.
NAIRU The non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment, the level below which inflation...
naked Describing an option or short position held without any offsetting holding in the...
name-clearing hearing A due-process opportunity for a public employee to rebut stigmatizing charges made in...
nappy rash Sore, red skin in the nappy area caused by prolonged contact with urine and faeces.
narcolepsy A chronic sleep disorder characterised by overwhelming daytime sleepiness and sudden...
narrow therapeutic index A property of a drug for which the difference between an effective dose and a toxic dose...
nasal cannula A lightweight tube with two prongs that delivers oxygen into the nostrils.
nasal flaring Widening of the nostrils with each breath, a sign of increased respiratory effort in...
nasal polyps Benign, oedematous swellings of the sinonasal mucosa that can obstruct the nasal airway.
nasal septum The partition of bone and cartilage dividing the nasal cavity into two halves.
nascent Just coming into existence; beginning to develop.
nasendoscopy Examination of the nasal passages, pharynx and larynx using a flexible endoscope passed...
nasogastric Relating to a tube passed through the nose into the stomach for feeding or drainage.
nasogastric tube A tube passed through the nose into the stomach for feeding, giving medication, or...
national debt The total amount of money a government owes to its lenders, accumulated from past...
nationalisation The transfer of a private company or industry into state ownership.
native advertising Paid content designed to match the form and feel of the platform it runs on.
nativism A policy of favouring native inhabitants over immigrants.
natriuresis The excretion of sodium in the urine, particularly when increased above normal.
natriuretic Promoting the excretion of sodium in the urine.
natural justice The common-law principles requiring a fair hearing and an unbiased decision-maker in the...
natural monopoly An industry where a single supplier serves the whole market most cheaply because of vast...
naturalisation The legal process by which a foreign national acquires the citizenship of a state.
nausea The unpleasant sensation of feeling about to vomit.
nausea and vomiting The sensation of impending sickness together with the forceful expulsion of stomach...
NAV financing A loan secured against the net asset value of a fund's whole portfolio rather than any...
nearshoring The relocation of operations to a nearby country rather than a distant one.
nebuliser A device that converts liquid medication into a fine mist for inhalation into the lungs.
nebulous Vague, ill-defined or lacking clear form and content.
necessitate To make a particular action or measure necessary.
necessity A defence that an offence was committed to avoid a greater and imminent harm.
neck stiffness Resistance and pain on flexing the neck, a classic sign of meningeal irritation.
necropsy A post-mortem examination of an animal to determine the cause of death or disease.
necrosis The death of body tissue.
needs-based approach A method of dividing assets on divorce focused on meeting each party's reasonable housing...
nefarious Wicked, villainous, or criminal in character.
negative pledge An undertaking by the borrower not to create or permit any security over its assets in...
negativism A motiveless resistance to instructions or to attempts to be moved.
neglect A reduced awareness of, or failure to attend to, one side of the body or space.
negligence A failure to take proper care, causing harm.
negligent Failing to exercise the standard of care that a reasonable person would have shown.
negotiating damages A sum representing the hypothetical fee the claimant could have charged to release the...
neighbouring rights The related rights of performers, producers, and broadcasters that sit alongside, but...
nemo dat quod non habet One cannot transfer a better title to goods than one actually holds.
nemo iudex in causa sua The rule of natural justice that no one should be a judge in their own cause,...
nemo judex in causa sua The rule that no one may be a judge in their own cause, requiring an impartial...
neoadjuvant Describing treatment given before the primary therapy to shrink a tumour and improve...
neobank A bank that operates entirely through an app with no physical branches.
neoliberal Favouring free markets, deregulation, and a reduced role for the state.
neologism A newly coined word or expression not yet in established use.
neonatal unit A specialist ward providing intensive care for newborn babies who are premature or unwell.
neonate A newborn infant in the first 28 days of life.
neoplasia The process of abnormal, autonomous new tissue growth underlying tumour formation.
neoplasm An abnormal mass of tissue arising from uncontrolled cellular proliferation, which may be...
neostigmine An anticholinesterase used to reverse non-depolarising neuromuscular blockade by...
nephelometry The measurement of substances by the amount of light they scatter in solution.
nephrectomy The surgical removal of a kidney, in whole or in part.
nephroblastoma A malignant embryonal tumour of the kidney occurring in childhood.
nephrocalcinosis The diffuse deposition of calcium salts within the substance of the kidney.
nephrogenic Originating in or produced by the kidney, or arising from an intrinsic renal defect.
nephrolithiasis The formation or presence of calculi within the kidney.
nephron The functional unit of the kidney, comprising a glomerulus and its associated tubule.
nephropathy Disease of the kidneys, especially the progressive glomerular damage seen in diabetes.
nephrosclerosis Hardening of the kidney due to sclerosis of its small blood vessels, characteristically...
nephrostomy A surgically created channel draining urine directly from the renal pelvis through the...
nephrotic syndrome A kidney disorder characterised by heavy proteinuria, low blood albumin and widespread...
nephrotoxic Damaging or destructive to the kidneys.
nepotism The unfair favouring of relatives, especially by giving them jobs.
nervous shock A recognised psychiatric injury caused by a sudden shocking event, for which damages may...
net debt A company's total borrowings less its cash and cash equivalents, showing its indebtedness...
net new Describing business or revenue coming from customers who were not previously buying from...
net operating income A property's rental income after operating expenses but before financing and tax.
net present value The present value of an investment's expected cash inflows less its initial outlay, used...
net profit The profit remaining after all costs, including tax and interest, have been deducted from...
net realizable value The estimated selling price of an asset less the costs to complete and sell it.
net revenue retention The percentage of recurring revenue kept from existing customers once expansion,...
netnography The ethnographic study of online communities and their cultures for market research.
netting The offsetting of mutual obligations between parties so that only a single net balance is...
network effect A dynamic whereby a product becomes more valuable to each user as more people use it.
neural mobilisation A treatment technique that gently glides and tensions a nerve to restore its normal...
neuralgia Sharp, often paroxysmal pain arising from a nerve, typically following its anatomical...
neurapraxia A transient block of nerve conduction without disruption of the axon, usually resolving...
neuraxial Relating to drug administration into or around the spinal cord and its coverings.
neurodivergent Having a cognitive profile that differs from what is considered typical.
neurodiversity The range of natural variation in human cognition, treated as an asset to be accommodated.
neuroischaemic Describing a foot affected by both nerve damage and a poor blood supply.
neuroleptic An antipsychotic drug used to treat psychosis, so named for its dampening effect on...
neurological Relating to the nerves and the brain.
neuromarketing The use of brain and physiological measurement to study consumer responses.
neuromuscular blockade The drug-induced interruption of transmission at the neuromuscular junction to produce...
neuropathy Disease or dysfunction of the peripheral nerves.
neuroplasticity The capacity of the nervous system to reorganise its structure and connections in...
neurosis A relatively mild mental disorder marked by anxiety.
neurotmesis The most severe grade of nerve injury, involving complete transection of the nerve trunk.
neuter To surgically remove an animal's reproductive organs so that it can no longer breed.
neutrality The state of not favouring either side in a dispute.
neutropenia A reduction in circulating neutrophils below the reference range, markedly increasing...
neutrophilia An increase in the absolute neutrophil count, most often a reaction to infection,...
New Medicine Service A pharmacy service offering follow-up support to patients newly started on a medicine for...
New York Convention The 1958 treaty requiring contracting states to recognise and enforce foreign arbitral...
newly diagnosed Describing a patient who has only recently been found to have a condition.
NEWS2 The National Early Warning Score 2, a standardised aggregate score of vital signs used to...
newsjacking The practice of inserting a brand into a breaking news story to gain attention.
next friend The historical term for one who brings proceedings on behalf of a minor or person under...
next steps The specific actions to be taken following a meeting or decision.
nexus A connection or central link between things, or the point where they converge.
nibbling Extracting small extra concessions once the other side believes the deal is essentially...
niche A specialised segment of a market with distinct needs.
nidification The activity of building a nest.
nidorous Smelling or tasting of cooked, roasted, or slightly burnt meat.
nihilism The belief that life has no inherent meaning, value or moral foundation.
Nikolsky sign The shearing away of superficially normal-looking epidermis under lateral pressure,...
nil by mouth An instruction that a patient must not eat or drink, typically before surgery or a...
nil known allergies A standard formulation recording that the patient has no documented drug or other...
nimble Able to respond and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
nine-box grid A talent-review tool plotting employees on a three-by-three matrix of performance against...
nisi Of an order, taking effect only after a specified period unless cause is shown to the...
nitrogenous Containing nitrogen, especially as a component of protein and its breakdown products.
niveous Snowy or resembling snow in whiteness.
no-action letter A regulatory staff assurance that it will not recommend enforcement against a...
no case to answer A submission that the prosecution evidence is insufficient for a properly directed jury...
no concerns A handover phrase confirming that a patient is stable and requires no active overnight...
no cure, no pay The fundamental principle of salvage law that a salvor earns a reward only if the salvage...
no-decision A lost opportunity in which the prospect chose to do nothing rather than pick any vendor.
no-fault divorce A divorce granted without either party having to prove wrongdoing by the other.
no-oral-modification clause A stipulation that the contract may be varied only in signed writing, defeating informal...
no-shop clause A commitment barring the seller from soliciting or entertaining competing offers during...
no waiver A boilerplate provision confirming that a party's failure or delay in enforcing a right...
nociception The neural process of encoding and detecting noxious stimuli that may cause tissue damage.
nociceptive Relating to the detection and transmission of pain-producing stimuli.
nocturia The need to wake and pass urine one or more times during the night.
nodule A solid, palpable lesion greater than one centimetre in diameter that extends into the...
noisome Having an extremely offensive smell; disgusting or harmful.
nolle prosequi A prosecutor's formal decision to abandon all or part of a case.
nolo contendere A plea by which a defendant accepts conviction without admitting guilt.
nomenclature A system of names used within a particular field or product range.
nomenklatura The privileged elite who hold key administrative posts in a bureaucratic state.
nominal Of damages, a token sum awarded where a right is infringed without any actual loss.
nominal value The fixed face value assigned to a share in the company's constitution, distinct from its...
nominalisation The process of turning a verb or adjective into a noun to create a denser, more objective...
nominalism The doctrine that abstract universals are merely names, with only particular things...
nominee The insolvency practitioner who reviews a proposed voluntary arrangement and reports on...
non-accidental injury An injury to a child that is deliberately caused rather than the result of an accident.
non-committal Deliberately not expressing or revealing a definite opinion or intention.
non-compete A covenant restraining a party from competing for a period after the contract ends.
non compos mentis Not of sound mind, and therefore not legally responsible.
non-core Describing a business unit or asset that falls outside a company's central strategic...
non-custodial Not involving imprisonment.
non-derogable Describing a right that may never be suspended, even during a public emergency.
non-disclosure agreement A contract by which parties agree to keep specified information confidential.
non-discrimination The principle that rights must be secured without distinction on prohibited grounds such...
non est factum A plea that a signed document is fundamentally different in character from what the...
non-exclusive licence A licence that allows the owner to grant the same rights to other licensees as well.
non-executive Describing a director who supervises but takes no part in day-to-day management.
non-executive director A member of the board who is not involved in day-to-day management and provides...
non-invasive ventilation Ventilatory support delivered through a tight-fitting mask rather than through a tube in...
non-justiciable Not suitable for judicial determination because the matter falls outside the proper...
non-matrimonial property Assets acquired before the marriage or received by inheritance or gift, which may be...
non-molestation order A court order protecting a person from being harassed, threatened or subjected to...
non-negotiable Describing a term or condition that cannot be changed or discussed.
non-refoulement The principle prohibiting the return of a person to a place where they risk persecution...
non sequitur A statement that does not logically follow from what preceded it.
non-solicitation A contractual restriction barring a departing employee from approaching the employer's...
non-union The failure of a fractured bone to heal within the expected time.
non-use The absence of genuine commercial use of a registered mark, exposing it to cancellation.
non-weight-bearing Describing a limb that must not bear any of the body's weight.
nonconformance A failure of a product or process to meet a specified requirement.
nondelegable Describing a duty for which a party remains liable even where performance is entrusted to...
nondisclosure The failure to reveal a material fact one was bound to disclose.
nonfeasance The failure to perform an act that one is under a legal duty to do.
nonjoinder The failure to join a party who ought to have been included in the proceedings.
nonjudgemental Accepting a person without criticism or moral evaluation of their behaviour or choices.
nonperformance The failure to carry out an obligation that the contract requires.
nonperforming Describing a loan on which the borrower has stopped making the scheduled interest or...
nonplussed So surprised or confused that one is unsure how to react.
nonrecourse Of a loan, secured only against pledged assets with no further claim on the borrower.
nonsuit A judgment against a claimant who fails to make out a case or to proceed.
nonunion The failure of a fractured bone to heal within the expected time, with no prospect of...
nonverbal Relating to communication expressed through gesture, expression, or posture rather than...
noradrenaline A potent vasoconstrictor and first-line vasopressor used to restore blood pressure in...
normalisation The adjustment of financial figures to remove distortions and reveal sustainable,...
normalise To reassure someone that their experience is common and to be expected rather than...
normalization The process of rescaling data to a common range or structuring it to reduce redundancy.
normative Relating to how things ought to be rather than how they actually are.
normocapnia A normal arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide, the usual ventilatory target during...
normocytic Describing red cells, or an anaemia, in which the cell size and mean corpuscular volume...
normothermia A normal core body temperature, actively maintained during and after surgery.
normovolaemia A state of normal circulating blood volume, the goal of perioperative fluid management.
north star A single guiding metric or objective that aligns and directs a company's strategy.
North Star metric The single measure that best captures the core value a product delivers to customers and...
norwich pharmacal order An order compelling a third party mixed up in wrongdoing to disclose the identity of the...
noscitur a sociis A word's meaning is coloured by the neighbouring words it keeps.
nosocomial Originating in a hospital (of an infection).
nostalgia A sentimental longing or affection for a period in the past.
nostro An account a bank holds in a foreign currency with another bank abroad.
noted with thanks A brief, formal acknowledgement that a message has been received and understood.
notice of readiness A formal notification by which the master informs the charterer that the vessel has...
notice period The length of time either party must give in advance of terminating the contract of...
notice to admit A formal request that another party admit specified facts or documents so they need not...
notice to quit A formal notice by which a landlord or tenant ends a periodic tenancy on a specified date.
notifiable Legally required to be reported to public-health authorities.
notifiable disease An infection that a clinician is legally required to report to public-health authorities.
notifiable transaction A concentration that exceeds the turnover or share-of-supply thresholds and must be...
notion A concept or idea, often one being critically examined rather than endorsed.
notional Existing only as an assumed figure for the purpose of calculating tax, rather than as an...
notwithstanding In spite of the thing just mentioned, used in formal writing to concede a point without...
noumenon A thing as it exists in itself, independent of how it is perceived by the senses.
nous Practical intelligence, shrewdness and good sense (British informal).
novate To replace an existing contract or contracting party with a new one by mutual agreement.
novate the contract To replace an existing contract with a new one in which a third party takes over the...
novation Replacing a contract or party with a new one, by consent.
novelty The requirement that an invention has not been made available to the public anywhere...
novelty effect A temporary lift in engagement caused simply by a change being new, which fades once...
novus actus interveniens A new intervening act that breaks the chain of causation between conduct and harm.
now, therefore Marking the transition from the recitals to the operative provisions of an agreement.
nowcasting The estimation of the present or very near-term state of a metric using real-time data.
NPC Someone who seems to run on autopilot, repeating received opinions.
NPO An abbreviation of the Latin nil per os, meaning the patient is to have nothing by mouth.
NSAID A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to reduce pain and inflammation.
nuance A subtle shade of meaning or feeling.
nuanced Characterised by subtle distinctions and shades of meaning.
nudge A subtle change to how choices are presented that steers behaviour without restricting...
nudum pactum A bare promise unsupported by consideration and therefore unenforceable.
nugatory Of no value or importance; trifling or futile.
nuisance An unlawful interference with a person's use or enjoyment of land, or with a public right.
null hypothesis The default assumption in a test that there is no difference or effect between the groups...
nulla poena sine lege The principle that there can be no punishment without a pre-existing law creating the...
nullification The act of rendering a law or act legally void or of no effect.
nulliparous Describing a woman who has never given birth to a child.
nullity The condition of a right being void from the outset as if it had never validly existed.
numbness A partial or complete loss of sensation in a part of the body.
numeraire A unit or good chosen as the standard against which the prices of all others are measured.
numinous Having a strong spiritual or awe-inspiring quality.
nunc pro tunc With retroactive effect, as though an act had been done at the earlier proper time.
nuncupative Of a will declared orally before witnesses rather than reduced to signed writing.
nyctalopia Impaired vision in dim light or darkness, commonly called night blindness.
nystagmus Involuntary, rhythmic oscillation of the eyes, often a sign of vestibular dysfunction.

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