nay
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adverb[edit]
nay (not comparable)
- (now chiefly archaic, humorous or regional) No. [from 12th c.]
- (now chiefly archaic or regional) Introducing a statement, without direct negation. [from 14th c.]
- 1876, Henry James, Roderick Hudson:
- Nay, what are you smiling at so damnably?
- (now archaic or humorous) Or rather, or should I say; moreover (introducing a stronger and more appropriate expression than the preceding one). [from 16th c.]
- His face was dirty, nay, filthy.
- 1663, Samuel Butler, Hudibras, part 1, canto 2:
- […] And proved not only horse, but cows, / Nay pigs, were of the elder house: / For beasts, when man was but a piece / Of earth himself, did th' earth possess.
- 1748, David Hume, chapter 18, in Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral, London: Oxford University Press, published 1973:
- And even in our wildest and most wandering reveries, nay in our very dreams, we shall find, if we reflect, that the imagination ran not altogether at adventures,
- 2016 February 2, John Dryden, The works of John Dryden, Vol.7: Top English Literature (Top English Literature)[2], VM eBooks:
- And all rejected: Has this course been used? Arch. We grant it has not; but— King. Nay, give me leave,— I urge, from your own grant, it has not been. If then, in process of a petty sum, Both parties having not been fully heard, […]
Usage notes[edit]
In Early Modern English, nay was used to respond to a positive question, while no was used to respond to a negative question. Over time, this distinction disappeared.
Translations[edit]
or rather
|
Interjection[edit]
nay
Derived terms[edit]
Noun[edit]
nay (plural nays)
- A vote against.
- A person who voted against.
- The vote is 4 in favor and 20 opposed; the nays have it.
- (archaic) A denial; a refusal.[1]
- 14th c, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Clerk's Tale”, in D. Laing Purves, editor, The Canterbury Tales and Faerie Queene, with Other Poems of Chaucer and Spenser[3], published 1870, page 100:
Verb[edit]
nay (third-person singular simple present nays, present participle naying, simple past and past participle nayed)
- (obsolete) To refuse.
- 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC:
- the cardinall then being bishop of Winchester, tooke vpon him the state of cardinall, which was naied and denaied him, by the king of most noble memorie
Adjective[edit]
nay (not comparable)
References[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Ainu[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
nay (Kana spelling ナィ)
Trivia[edit]
The ainu word -nay is frequently seen in names of places in Hokkaido and Northeast Japan, such as Wakkanai, Shizunai, etc.
Tagalog[edit]
Noun[edit]
nay
Tocharian B[edit]
Noun[edit]
nay
Vietnamese[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Cognate with này.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [naj˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [naj˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [na(ː)j˧˧]
Audio (Hà Nội) (file)
Adjective[edit]
- (of a day or time of day) that is today, or happening today
- sáng/trưa/chiều/tối/đêm nay ― this morning/forenoon/afternoon/evening/night
- bữa/hôm nay ― today
- Sáng nay ăn sáng chưa?
- Have you had breakfast this morning?
Noun[edit]
- (usually literary) now, the present, as opposed to xưa (“long ago; the past”) and mai (“later in the future”)
- Nay không lo làm thì mai không có ăn đâu.
- If you don't work today, you won't be able to afford to eat tomorrow.
- Xưa cả làng sợ họ nhà nó lắm. Nay chẳng ai sợ cái cóc khô gì cả.
- The whole village used to fear their family. These days, though, nobody fears no damn thing.
See also[edit]
Derived terms
Adverb[edit]
See also[edit]
Derived terms
Related terms[edit]
- này (“this”)
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