English
nous
Nous comes from Ancient Greek νοῦς ‘contracted form of νόος (nóos)’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- ‘to spin (thread), to sew’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₁-1‘to spin (thread), to sew’root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνοῦς1noûs‘contracted form of νόος (nóos)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1900nous1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English nous
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1900, Gilbert Keith Chesterton: “I feel the will to roam, to learn By…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₁-Wiktionary, English nous‘to spin (thread), to sew’root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνοῦςWiktionary, English nousnoûs‘contracted form of νόος (nóos)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1900nousWiktionary, English nous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1900, Gilbert Keith Chesterton: “I feel the will to roam, to learn By…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- ‘to spin (thread), to sew’
nerve, needle, nervous, neuron, adder, nematode, sinew, nematic, 8 more
Today it means
noun The mind or intellect, faculty for rationality or reason using the necessary common sense or awareness.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “nous”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- / nous