né

/neɪ/

adjective

Used when giving the former name of a man.

“Sting, né Gordon Sumner”

OriginFrench né ← Old French né ← Latin nātus →
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Meanings

né1

adjectivené (not comparable)
  1. not comparableuncommonusually italicisedUsed when giving the former name of a man.

    Sting, né Gordon Sumner

    1 more example

    It remained in the custody of Mr Svlad, or "Dirk", Gently, né Cjelli.

    1987, Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, William Heinemann Ltd, page 23
  2. not comparableuncommonusually italicisedUsed when giving a man's name of birth, which was legally changed after.

né2

particle
  1. South AfricaYeah? not so? hey?

    so I saw this girl né, and I wanted to talk to her...

Origin

né · adjective

  1. Latinnātus
  2. Old Frenchné
  3. Frenchné
  4. Englishné

From French né, from Old French né, from Latin nātus, perfect active participle of nāscor (“to be born”). Doublet of nada.

More words from French, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

né · particle

  1. Afrikaansnee
  2. Afrikaansnee
  3. Englishné

Borrowed from Afrikaans nee.

More words from Afrikaans

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with né

amaymedayrewaytodaykjlasayplayzpayawaydisplaystaybayoksurveyleDJraylingerie
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

Neaghnayneigh (pane–pain merger)Neaghnayneigh (pane–pain merger)
Cite this entry
APA

né. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/n%C3%A9

MLA

“né.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/n%C3%A9. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “né,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/n%C3%A9.

Source: né on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.