Mzensk, a town in the Russian government of Orel, 200 miles SSW. of Moscow. Pop. 15,067.

N

the fourteenth letter in our alphabet, is derived from the hieroglyphic sign for water (see ALPHABET). When taken over by the Phœnicians it was called nun, 'the fish.' The earliest Greek form was N, which afterwards became N. Our script form, n, is derived from the old Roman cursive. The sound of n is defined as a nasal dental. It is produced when the organs are in the position for pronouncing d, and the breath is allowed to pass into the nose. Hence n attracts d, as in expound from expono, sound from sonus, or in thunder and hind from Old English thunor and hine. Our two nasals m and n also interchange according to the nature of the following consonant. If it is a labial n changes to m, as in hemp from Old English hanep, or comfort from confortare; but if it is a dental m changes to n, as in ant from Old English æmte, or count from computare. We also find an intrusive n before gutturals and dentals, as in nightingale from Old English nihtegale, messenger from messenger, passenger from passager, or lantern from laterna.