nous

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek νοῦς (noûs, “mind”),^[2][3][4][5] the Attic contracted form of νόος (nóos, “mind, intellect, perception”).^[2][6][7][5] The Greek word is of unknown or uncertain origin;^[2][7] Etymonline quotes Beekes, who thinks it must be an old inherited verbal noun but finds no certain etymology.^[5] Medieval Latin had nous in British sources from the 10th century.^[2] It is related to noetic and paranoia.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In ancient Greek philosophy, mind or intellect, intuitive understanding: 1678, in Ralph Cudworth's True Intellectual System of the Universe.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

The colloquial sense, common sense or practical intelligence, followed in 1706,^[2][9][5] and Etymonline traces it to college slang.^[5] It is chiefly British,^[2][4] and the OED notes that writers sometimes printed it in Greek letters even in this everyday sense, as Pope did in the Dunciad.^[2] By the end of the 19th century it was widespread in the dialects of Scotland and England, meaning sense, tact or shrewdness,^[10] which Weekley found curious.^[11] Hotten recorded a slang verb, to nous, to understand, in 1859.^[9]

Timeline

• 1678 – in Greek philosophy, mind, intellect.^[2][8]
• 1706 – colloquial, common sense, practical intelligence.^[2][9][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (chiefly British, informal) Common sense; practical intelligence or gumption: She had the nous to sell before prices fell.^[4][2]
2. (philosophy) Mind or reason, especially as the principle that orders the universe.^[4][8][2]

Related words

• noetic
• paranoia

Usage notes

The OED gives /naʊs/ as the British and /nus/ as the American pronunciation;^[2] Merriam-Webster Unabridged gives both.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
10. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
11. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray