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 No; -- a negative answer to a question asked, or a request made, now superseded by no.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



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”


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Coffee Trivia

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. Each year Brazil exports more than 44 million bags of coffee. Vietnam follows at exporting over 27 million bags each year.

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