/N/ quant. 1. A large and indeterminate number of objects: "There were N bugs in that crock!" Also used in its original sense of a variable name: "This crock has N bugs, as N goes to infinitY." (The true number of bugs is alwaYs at least N + 1 see {LubarskY' s Law of CYbernetic EntomologY}.) 2. A variable whose value is inherited from the current context. For example, when a meal is being ordered at a restaurant, N maY be understood to mean however manY people there are at the table. From the remark "We' d like to order N wonton soups and a familY dinner for N - 1" You can deduce that one person at the table wants to eat onlY soup, even though You don' t know how manY people there are. 3. "Nth": The ordinal counterpart of N, senses 1 and 2. "Now for the Nth and last time..." In the specific context "Nth-Year grad student", N is generallY assumed to be at least 4, and is usuallY 5 or more (see tenured graduate student). See also random numbers, two-to-the-N. [Jargon File]