/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 ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=tenured graduate student">tenured graduate student). See also ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=random numbers">random numbers, ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=two-to-the-N">two-to-the-N. [ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Jargon File">Jargon File]

In addition suitable contents:
[ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=31">2 ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=134">= ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=262">ad ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=433">al ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=544">am ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=592">an ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=740">ar ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=743">arc ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=759">arg ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=800">as ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=894">at ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=935">au ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1006">aw ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1026">b ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1034">ba ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1109">bar ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1181">be ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1368">bj ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1708">C ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=1724">ca ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2001">ch ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2099">ci ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2136">ck ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2247">co ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2545">con ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2639">context ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2791">cr ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2826">crock ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2900">cu ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2912">current ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3151">de ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3565">do ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3752">du ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3834">E ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3865">ec ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3896">ed ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3923">edu ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3929">ee ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4148">er ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4150">era ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4171">es ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4199">et ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4497">fi ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4520">file ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4700">fo ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4727">for ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4828">fr ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5057">ge ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5070">gen ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5134">gh ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5141">gi ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5291">gr ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5390">gs ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5430">gy ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5434">h ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5540">hat ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5722">hose ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5768">hr ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5931">id ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6013">il ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6064">in ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6108">infinity ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6482">is ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6558">it ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6589">J ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6620">Jargon File ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6789">ke ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6861">kn ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6906">ky ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6918">la ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7091">Lex ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7107">li ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7399">ls ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7415">lu ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7418">Lubarsky' s Law of Cybernetic Entomology ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7441">ly ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7463">ma ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7582">man ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7932">mil ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8032">mo ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8040">mod ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8079">module ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8167">mp ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8386">na ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8472">ne ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8488">net ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8622">nf ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8627">ng ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8630">ni ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8660">nl ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8672">nn ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8675">no ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8760">ns ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8787">nu ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8799">numbers ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8838">object ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8964">om ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8997">onto ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9014">op ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9116">ordinal ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9204">pa ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9457">pe ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9550">ph ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9651">pl ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10253">query ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10313">random ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10317">random numbers ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10364">rc ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10385">re ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10767">ro ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10887">ru ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10918">S ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11150">se ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11510">sk ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11651">so ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11790">spec ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11934">st ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12133">su ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12165">sum ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12359">T ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12369">table ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12524">tenured graduate student ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12567">text ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12588">th ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12721">to ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12787">tr ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12939">tw ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12963">two-to-the-N ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12986">ua ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13008">ug ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13030">um ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13146">up ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13175">us ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13252">va ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13260">value ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13274">var ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13275">variable ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13310">ve ] [ ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=14042">ye ]