An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Nonne

by Friedrich Kluge

Nonne, feminine, ‘nun,’ from the equivalent Middle High German nunne, Old High German nunna, feminine; corresponding to Dutch non, Middle Low German and Anglo-Saxon nunne, feminine, English nun, adopted, like the previous word, in connection with monastic life, both in German and English about the beginning of the 9th century, from Latin nonna (Greek νόννα), which passed also into Romance; compare French nonne, nonnain, ‘nun,’ Italian nonna, ‘grandmother,’ like Italian nonno, ‘grandfather.’ The early history of the cognates is obscure; late Latin nonna was an ‘expressíon of reverence’ (hence its meaning in Italian).— Nonne, feminine, ‘gelded sow,’ is, like the corresponding words in Middle High German and Dutch, identical with Nonne, ‘nun,’ and was thus termed for sexual reasons.