now
UK[naʊ]US[naʊ]
adv
at the present time or moment
adv
used in stories or reports of past events to mean at a particular time in the past
conj
as a consequence of the fact
Etymology
The word 'now' originates from the Old English 'nū', which is directly descended from the Proto-Germanic nu. This, in turn, can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root nu-, meaning "now." This root is the source for similar words across many Indo-European languages, such as Latin 'nunc', Greek 'nun', and Sanskrit 'nu'. The word's journey is one of remarkable phonetic and semantic stability, retaining its core meaning of indicating the present moment from its ancient origins to its current, abstract usage in English to denote immediate time, consequence, or narrative immediacy.
Analysis
The word 'now' is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It functions as an adverb and conjunction in modern English.
Examples
I can't talk right now; I'm in a meeting.
Now, where was I before I was interrupted?
Now that you've arrived, we can begin the presentation.