nan ‧ ny /ˈnæni/ BrE AmE noun ( plural nannies ) [countable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: From the female name Ann ]
1 . a woman whose job is to take care of the children in a family, usually in the family’s own home:
She found a job as a nanny with a wealthy Italian family.
2 . British English informal grandmother – used by children SYN nan
3 . the nanny state especially British English a government which tries to control the lives of its citizens too much