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Added 9 October 2026

nay

/neɪ/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nay at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A negative.
the nays have it

adverb

Not this merely but also; not only so but.
each of us is peculiar, nay, in a sense unique

Origin

From Middle English nai, nei, from Old Norse nei (“no”), contraction of ne (“not”) + ei (“ever”), itself from Proto-Germanic *nai (“never”), *nē (“not”). More at no. The verb is from Middle English nayen (“to refuse, deny, gainsay”), from the interjection and adverb above.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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