adjective
or nee ˈnā sometimes ˈnē
Etymology: French née, feminine of né
1. : born into a family surnamed
Rebecca Crawley, née Sharp — W.M.Thackeray
Mrs. Jane Doe née Roe
Mrs. John Doe née Roe
Aunt Margaret, née Sheridan — Mary McCarthy
— used to identify a woman by her maiden family name usually after mention of her name by marriage; sometimes used of a male
Don Lockwood née Kosinski — J.S.Redding
2. : originally or formerly called or named — used to identify (1) a girl or woman usually after mention of an assumed or acquired name
John Doe, whose widow née Jane Roe
with his charming bride, née Miss Carol Milford — Sinclair Lewis
the actress Madam X née Jane Roe
requiem high mass for Sister AB née Jane Roe
(2) sometimes a man or boy usually after mention of another name being used
Lord Byron, née George Pappas — Joseph Auslander & Audrey Wurdemann
and (3) sometimes similarly a group
the Atlanta Braves née the Boston Braves
place
Kernville, née Whiskey Flat — Ray Millholland
or thing
sonata for flute, oboe, and basso continuo née sonata for violin and harpsichord — P.H.Lang
— compare n é