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# nee

adjective / preposition-like word (née; also written «nee»; borrowed from French)

«nee» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Née (often written nee) is used before a woman's family name from birth, to show what her surname was before she married: «Mrs Jane Smith, née Brown». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#m1)
2. It comes from French, where «née» means «born». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#m2)

### In the lessons

It is a formal, written word found in family trees, history books, old newspapers and death notices; children meet it in family history projects. It tells the reader the woman's maiden name (surname before marriage). A related form «né» is sometimes used for a man's earlier name.

### Examples

- Mary Wilson, née Taylor, was my great-grandmother. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#x1)
- The notice read «Ann Kelly (nee O'Brien)». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#x2)
- In our family tree, Nan is listed as Mrs Jones, née Evans. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#x3)
- Née shows the surname someone had when she was born. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#x4)
- The queen's mother was born with another surname, so books write «née» before it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/#x5)

### Note

Formal and written; rare in speech. Pronounced «nay». Not an English word in origin: it is French for «born». Do not confuse with «nay» (an old word for «no») or «neigh» (a horse's sound), which sound the same.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «nee» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nee/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«nee» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/nee.html) on Mova free.