in nickname, newt, and British dialectal naunt, the -n- belongs to a preceding indefinite article an or possessive pronoun mine.
Other examples of this from Middle English manuscripts include a neilond ("an island," early 13c.), a narawe ("an arrow," c. 1400), a nox ("an ox," c. 1400), a noke ("an oak," early 15c.), a nappyle ("an apple," early 15c.), a negge ("an egg," 15c.). In 16c., an idiot sometimes became a nidiot, which, with still-common casual pronunciation, became nidget, which, alas, has not survived.
The process also worked in surnames, from oblique cases of Old English at "by, near," as in Nock/Nokes/Noaks from atten Oke "by the oak;" Nye from atten ye "near the lowland;" and see Nashville.
But it is more common for an English word to lose an -n- to a preceding a: apron, auger, adder, umpire, humble pie, etc. The mathematical use of n for "an indefinite number" is first recorded 1852, in to the nth power.
雙語例句
1. " N " is a syllabic consonant in " button " .
在 button 這個詞里n是 構成音節的輔音.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
2. M is twice as large as N.
M等于N的兩倍.
來自《現代英漢綜合大詞典》
3. Ayer started N. W. Ayer & Son in 1869, naming the firm for his father.
艾爾在1869年成立了N.W.艾爾父子公司，公司以他父親的名字命名。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The N pole and S pole of two magnets will attract each other.
兩個磁體的N極和S極互相吸引.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
5. Rock'n'roll has become so commercialised and safe since punk.