NAY
nay
(adverb) not this merely but also; not only so but; “each of us is peculiar, nay, in a sense unique”
nay
(noun) a negative; “the nays have it”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adverb
nay (not comparable)
(now, chiefly, archaic or regional) No. [from 12th c.]
(now, chiefly, archaic or regional) Introducing a statement, without direct negation. [from 14th c.]
(now, archaic or jocular) Or rather, or should I say; moreover (introducing a stronger and more appropriate expression than the preceding one). [from 16th c.]
Usage notes
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.
Interjection
nay
(archaic) No.
Noun
nay (plural nays)
A vote against.
A person who voted against.
(archaic) A denial; a refusal.
Antonyms
• (A vote against): yea
Verb
nay (third-person singular simple present nays, present participle naying, simple past and past participle nayed)
(obsolete) To refuse.
Adjective
nay (not comparable)
(obsolete) Nary.
Anagrams
• AYN, Ayn, NYA, Yan, any, any%, ayn, yan
Proper noun
NAY
Abbreviation of Nayarit, a state of Mexico.
Anagrams
• AYN, Ayn, NYA, Yan, any, any%, ayn, yan
Proper noun
Nay (plural Nays)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Nay is the 6949th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4826 individuals. Nay is most common among White (80.11%) individuals.
Anagrams
• AYN, Ayn, NYA, Yan, any, any%, ayn, yan
Source: Wiktionary
Nay, adv. Etym: [Icel. nei; akin to E. no. See No, adv.]
1. No; -- a negative answer to a question asked, or a request made, now superseded by no. See Yes. And eke when I say "ye," ne say not "nay." Chaucer. I tell you nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewisr perish. Luke xiii. 3. And now do they thrust us out privily nay, verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. Acts xvi. 37. He that will not when he may, When he would he shall have nay. Old Prov.
Note: Before the time of Henry VIII. nay was used to answer simple questions, and no was used when the form of the question involved a negative expression; nay was the simple form, no the emphatic. Skeat.
2. Not this merely, but also; not only so, but; -- used to mark the addition or substitution of a more explicit or more emphatic phrase.
Note: Nay in this sense may be interchanged with yea. "Were he my brother, nay, my kingdom's heir." Shak.
Nay, n.; pl. Nays (.
1. Denial; refusal.
2. a negative vote; one who votes in the negative. It is no nay, there is no denying it. [Obs.] haucer.
Nay, v. t. & i.
Definition: To refuse. [Obs.] Holinshed.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
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