Etymology

nave

N1A1V4E1

Today it means: The middle or body of a church, extending from the transepts to the principal entrances. Full definition →

Latin nāvem
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nave · noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromnāvem
  2. English todaynave

Ultimately from Latin nāvem, singular accusative of nāvis, possibly via a Romance source. Doublet of nef and nau.

nave · noun2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₃nebʰ-“navel, hub”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*nabō
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*nabu
  4. Old English · inherited fromnafu
  5. Middle English · inherited fromnave
  6. English todaynave

From Middle English nave, from Old English nafu, from Proto-West Germanic *nabu, from Proto-Germanic *nabō (compare Dutch naaf, German Nabe, Swedish nav), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nebʰ- (“navel, hub”) (compare Latin umbō (“shield boss”), Latvian naba, Sanskrit नभ्य (nabhya)).

Nave · proper noun3

  1. Spanish · derived fromnava
  2. English todayNave

* As an English surname, from the noun knave. * As a German surname Näve, variant of Neff, see Neve. * As a Portuguese surname, from nave (“plain”), borrowed from Spanish nava, compare Nava.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishnave all →

navy

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.