NAM
(614)
NAM
NAIRANG1A, a kind of Divination, in ufe among the till of late, baptized, and gave the Name on the Birth-
Arabs, drawn from feveral Phenomena of the Sun and Moon. Day. See Divination. The firft Impofition of Names was founded on different
The Word is form'd from the Arabic Nairan, the Plural Views, among different People ; the moft common was to
of Nair, Light. mark the good Wifhes of the Parents, or to intitle the
NAISSANT, in Heraldry, is applied to a Lion, or other Children to the good Fortune a happy Name feem'd to pro- Animal, ihewingonly the Head, Shoulders, Fore-feet, and mife ; Hence ViBor, Cafior, Faufius, Statorius, Probus,$$c. Legs, with the Tip of the Tail ; the reft of the Body Accordingly we find fuch Names, by Cicero call'd Bom lying hid under the Shield, or fome Charge, or Ordinary Nomina, and by Tacitus, Faufia Nomina, were ftill firft en- thereon ; from which it appears to be iffuing or arifing. rolled, and ranged in the Roman Mufters ; firft called to
Naifant differs from \jfuant, in that the Animal in the ferve at the firit Sacrifices in the Foundation of Colonies,
former Cafe iffues out at the middle, and in the latter, &c. And, on the contrary, Lhy calls Atrius Umber, abomi-
at the bottom, of the Shield or Charge. See Issuant. nandi ominis Nomen : And Plautus, on occafion of a Perfon
F '.Meneftrier fays, NaiJJant is only ufed for Animals, which named Lyco, i. e. Greedy Wolf x fays ; fhew the bare Head as arifing out of the Extremity of
the Chief, or from above the Feffe.
NAKED, in Architeflure. The Nakedo/ a Wall, &c. is the Surface, or Plain, from whence the Projeclures arife 5 or which ferves as a Ground to the Prefectures. See Pao-
JECTURE.
Vofmet nunc facite conjeHurum ca-terum Quid id Jit hominis, cui Lyco nomen fiet.
Hence, Plato recommends it to Men to be careful 10 giving happy Names; and the Pythagoreans taught expreily,
Thus, we fay, a Pilafter ought to exceed the Naked of that the Minds, Actions, and Succefles of Men were ac- the Wall by fo many Inches 5 and that the Foliages of a cording to their Names, Genius, and Fate. Thus, Pamr- Capital ought to anfwer to the Naked of the Column. See mitan, ex bono Nomine oritur bona Prxfwnptio ; and the com- Column, &c. mon Proverb, Bonum Nomen bonum Omen: And hence
Naked fire, is a Term ufed by the Chymifts for an the Foundation of the Onomantia. See Onom antia.
Open Fire ; or one where the containing Veffel is imrae- Hence Camden takes it for granted, that the Names, in all
diately expofed to the Fire. See Fire and Heat. Nations and Languages, are (ignificative, and not fimple
Naked Seeds, in Botany, are fuch Seeds of Plants as are Sounds, for meer diftin&ion fake. This holds not only a-
not inclofed in any Pod, or Cafe. See Plant and Seed. mong rhe Jews, Greeks, Latins, £jfe. but even the Turks; a-
NAM, or Naam, in Law, the taking, or diftraining an- mong whom, AbdaUa fignifies God's Servant; Soliman, Peace-
other Man's moveable Goods. This is either lawful, or able; Mahomet, Glorified, £S?c. And the Savages of IMfpanio-
unlawful. la, and throughout America, who, in their Languages, name
Lawful Naam, is a rcafonable Diftrefs, proportionable their Children Glijtenng Light, Sun-Bright, Fine Gold, &c.
to the Value of the Thing diftrained for; and was an- And they of Congo by the Names of Precious Stones, Flow-
tiently call'd either Vif or Mort, as it was made of quick ers, H£>c.
or dead Chattel. To fuppofe Names given without any Meaning, however,
Lawful Naam, is fo either by the Common Law, as by the Alteration of Languages, their Signification may be
when a Man takes another's Beafts doing damage in his loft, that learned Author thinks, is to reproach our Ancestors;
Ground ; or by a Man's particular Fad, as by reafon of and that contrary to the fenfe of all antient Writers. Thus
fome Contract, &c. And hence Namanon, the Aft of di- Porphyry notes, that the Barbarous Names, as he calls them,
Braining, or taking a Diitrefs. See Distress. were very empbatical, and very concife : And according-
In Scotland, the Word is particularly ufed for Impounding, ly, it was efteemed a Duty to be *!?*Vv«o/, or fui Nominis
NAME, a Word, whereby Men have agreed to exprefs Homines: as Severus, Proteus, and Aurelms, are called fui
fome Idea ; or which ferves to defign, or exprefs a Thing, Nominis Imperatores,
or SubjecT: fpoken or. See Word. And it was the ufual way of giving Names, to wifh the
This the Grammarians ufually call a Noun, tho' their Children might difcharge their Names: Thus when Gun- Noun is not of quite fo much Extent as our Name. See thraur, King of France, named Chtharius at the Font, he faid, Noun. Crefcat Puer, i^ hujus fit Nominis Executor.
Seneca, Lib. II. de Benefciis, obferves that there are a The antient Bntains, the fame Author adds, generally great Number of Things which havenoNawej and which, took their Names from Colours, becaufe they painted them
therefore, we are forced to call by other borrowed Names. Ingensefi, fays he, Rerum Copiafine Nomine quas cumfropriis AppeUat'tonibus fignare non pojfumus, alienis Accommodatis ut't- Which fhews why in the Courfe of this Dictionary,
we frequently give very different Senfes to the fame Word. It was Adam that firft gave Things their Names, Gen. ii. 19. Formats, igitur, Vominus Deus, de humo cunBis Animantibus Terr*, IS Vniverjis Volattlibui Ceeli, £•? omwbus Befliis Terr*,
felves; which are now loft, or remain hid among the Welch: When they were fubdued by the Romans', they took Roman Names; fome of which ftill remain, corrup- ted; tho' the greateft part are become extinft, upon the Admiflion of the Englifj-Saxons, who introduced the Ger- man Names, as Cudda, Penda, Ojwald, Edward, ££?c. The Danes, too, brought with them their Names 5 as Saayne t Harreld, Knute, ££c. And the Normans, at the Conqueff, adduxit ea ad Mam, ut videret quid doceret Ea , omne enim brought in other German Names, as originally ufing the Ger- quod vocavit Adam Anim* Vi-uentis ipfum eft Nomen ejus. "Ver. man Tongue; fuch as Robert, V/illiam, Richard, Henry, Hu?h, 20. Appellamq; Adam Nominibm J'uis cunBa Animantia, & tf c . after the fame manner as the Greek Names, /ffpafius\ unive-ja Volaiiha Cxli, & omnes Be/Has Terra. Boethius, Symmachtts, &c, were introduced into Italy, upon the
Names are diftingufhed into Proper and Appellative. Divifion of the Empire. After the Conqueft, our Nation,
Proper Names, are thofe which reprefent fome individual which had ever been averfe to foreign Names, as deeming Thing, or Perfon, fo as to diftingui/h it from all other them unlucky, began to take Hebrew Names; as Matthew, Things of the fame Species: as Socrates, which reprefents David, Sampfm, cVc.
a certain Philofopher. The various Names antiently, or at prcfent obtaining a-
Afpelfothe, or General Names, are thofe which fignify mong us, from what Language or People foever borrowed
are explained by Camden in his Remains.
common Ideas5 or which are common to feveral Indi duals of the fame Species, as Horfe,Animal, Man, Oak, &c. Proper Names are either call'd Chrifiian, as being given at Baptifm, or Simames; the firft, impofed for diftinclion of Perfons; anfwering to tho Roman Pr women. See Prje- nomen.
As to the Period when Names began to be multiplied, and Simames introduced, ££c. See Sirname.
Of late Years, it has obtained among us, to give Sir- names i0rChrifiianNa7r.es; which fome diflike, on account of the Confufion it may introduce. Camden relates it as an
The fecond for the Diftinclion of Families, anfwering to Opinion, that the Practice firit began in the Time of Ed-
the Nomen of the Romans, and the Patronimicum of the ward VI- by fuch as would be Godfathers, when they were
Greeks. See Sir name. more rf^ half Fathers. Upon which, fome were perfua-
OvigmnUy every Perfon had but one Name; as among ded to change their Names at Confirmation; which it the Jews, Adam, &c. among the Egyptians, Bufins ; among feems, is ufual in other Countries. Thus, two Sons of the Chaldees, Nimts ; the Medes, Ajttagts ; the Greeks, Diome- Henry II. of France, chnften'd Alexander and Hercules, chan- ts; the Romans, Romulus ; the Gauls, Divitiacus ; the Ger- ged them at Confirmation into Henry and Francis. mans, Ariawftus ; the Britains, Caffbelan h the Englilh, Hengifi, In Monafteries, the Religious aitume fuch Names at their £f>. And thus of other Nations, except the Savages of Admittance; to fhew they are about to lead a new Life
Mount Ala;, whom Ylmy and Mwctllhius reprefent as Ann- tlimi, namelefs.
T he 3ezaj eave the Name at the Cfrcumcifion, -viz. eight Days after the Birth : The Romans to Females the fame Dav, to Males the ninth, at which time they held a Feaft, call'd Kcmimi.lia.
Since ChriUianity has obtained, moft Nations have fol- lowed the jfiyf, Eaptizing, and giving rhe Name the eighth
and have renounced the World, their Family, and even their Name : v. g. Sifter Mary of the Incarnation, Brother Henry of the Holy Sacrament, &c.
The Popes alfo change their Name at their Exaltation to the Pontificate; a Cuftom firft introduced by Pope Ser- fitti, whofe Nam?, till then, as Flatin informs us, was Stvijiei-fnout. But Baromus refers it to Pope Serzius L and Onufbriut to John XII. or XIII. who, at the fame time,
Djy after the Birth ; except our Englifi Anceflors, who, adds a different reafon for it from that of I'lati
that 'twas
