Nom

Nom is a term with different meanings in various languages and contexts. In French, nom means "name" and functions as a masculine noun. It forms semantic pairs such as nom propre (proper name) and nom commun (common noun). The word comes from Latin nomen, cognate with Spanish nombre and Italian nome, reflecting its long history in Romance languages. The phrase nom de plume (pen name) and compound uses like nom de famille (family name) are common.

In everyday English usage online, nom appears as an onomatopoeic expression for eating sounds. The reduplication "nom nom nom" represents chewing or savoring food and is used humorously or affectionately in memes, captions, and casual chat.

Nom can also be encountered as an acronym (NOM) in various technical, organizational, and governmental contexts. Because such uses are field-specific, the exact meaning depends on the surrounding text. In scholarly or professional writing, NOM is typically clarified at first use to indicate the intended term, such as a model, organization, or concept that shares the same initials.

See also: nomenclature, nominal, proper noun, name.