Meanings
plural N95s
- N95; Ellipsis of NIOSH N95.
- uncountableThe N95 standard.
“One-way masking works,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, said. When he is treating tuberculosis patients, they are typically maskless, and he wears an N95 mask to protect himself.
2022 April 22, David Leonhardt, “Maskless Flying”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2022 - countableAn N95 filter.
Unlike cloth masks, high-quality masks — called N95s, KN95s and KF94s — are made with layers of high-tech filtering material that trap at least 94 to 95 percent of the most risky particles.
2022 January 14, Tara Parker-Pope, “How to Find a Quality Mask (and Avoid Counterfeits)”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2022
Origin
Initialism of Not resistant to oil particles with 95% filtration efficiency in NIOSH air filtration ratings.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
N95. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/N95
“N95.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/N95. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “N95,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/N95.
Source: N95 on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.