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now (nou)
Share:
adv.
1. At the present time: goods now on sale; the now aging dictator.
2. At once; immediately: Stop now.
3. In the immediate past; very recently: left the room just now.
4. At this point in the series of events; then: The ship was now listing to port.
5. At times; sometimes: now hot, now cold.
6. Nowadays.
7. In these circumstances; as things are: Now we won't be able to stay.
8.
a. Used to introduce a command, reproof, or request: Now pay attention.
b. Used to indicate a change of subject or to preface a remark: Now, let's get down to work.
conj.
Seeing that; since. Often used with that: Now that spring is here, we can expect milder weather.
n.
The present time or moment: wouldn't work up to now.
adj.
1. Of the present time; current: our now governor.
2. Slang Currently fashionable; trendy: the now sound of this new rock band.
Idiom:
now and again/then
Occasionally.
[Middle English, from Old English nū; see nu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
nowness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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