English
nau
Nau comes from Portuguese nau ‘a three or four-masted sailing ship used all…’, from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us ‘boat’, and ultimately from *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₂-‘to swim’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*néh₂us‘boat’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*naus ~ *nāwisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāvis‘ship, boat, vessel’
- Catalanc. 1500–presentnau‘ship’
- Portuguesec. 1500–presentsame form‘a three or four-masted sailing ship used all along the 15th century and early 16th…’
- Englishearliest quotation 2008same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₂-‘to swim’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*néh₂us‘boat’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*naus ~ *nāwisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāvis‘ship, boat, vessel’
- Catalanc. 1500–presentnau‘ship’
- Portuguesec. 1500–presentsame form‘a three or four-masted sailing ship used all along the 15th century and early 16th…’
- Englishearliest quotation 2008same form
Earliest quotation: 2008, Liam Matthew Brockey: “Bentley Duncan has even suggested that it was the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’
nurse, insulin, nutrient, nurture, nutritious, insular, nourish, nausea, insula, 22 more
through Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us ‘boat’
noise, nautical, aeronautics, nef, nautilus, astronautics, 9 more
through Latin nāvis ‘ship, boat, vessel’
navy, naval, navigation, navigate, navigator, navigable, nacelle, navicular, 4 more
through Catalan nau ‘ship’
Today it means
noun Synonym of carrack.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.