Nard
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A flowering plant of species Nardostachys jatamansi, in the valerian family, that grows in the Himalayas and is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and an herbal medicine. countable, uncountable
- 2 A testicle. US, plural-normally, slang
"The soccer ball hit me right in the nards!"
- 3 A Persian game similar to backgammon. uncountable
- 4 an aromatic ointment used in antiquity wordnet
- 5 A fragrant oil from the plant, formerly much prized. countable, uncountable
"[…]there cam a womã with an alablaſter boxe of oyntment / called narde / that was pure and coſtly / and ſhe brake the boxe ãd powred it on his heed."
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- 6 American spikenard (Aralia racemosa), a North American perennial herb with an aromatic root. countable, uncountable
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Bernard.
- 2 Obsolete spelling of Nart alt-of, obsolete
""Nard", a people reported by tradition to have formerly posessed this country (Circassia)."
Example
More examples"[…]there cam a womã with an alablaſter boxe of oyntment / called narde / that was pure and coſtly / and ſhe brake the boxe ãd powred it on his heed."
Etymology
From Middle English narde, from Old French narde, Latin nardus, from Ancient Greek νάρδος (nárdos), from Phoenician [Term?], Sanskrit नलद (nálada, “Indian narde”). Doublet of nardus.
Alteration of nuts (“testicles”) or nads (“gonads”).
Borrowed from Persian نرد (nard)
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.