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gainsayer

 - 3 dictionary results

gain⋅say

  [geyn-sey, geyn-sey]
Use gainsayer in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -said, -say⋅ing.
1. to deny, dispute, or contradict.
2. to speak or act against; oppose.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME gainsaien. See again, say 1

Related forms:
gainsayer, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To gainsayer
gain·say   (gān-sā', gān'sā')   
tr.v.   gain·said (-sād', -sěd'), gain·say·ing, gain·says (-sāz', -sěz')

  1. To declare false; deny. See Synonyms at deny.

  2. To oppose, especially by contradiction.


[Middle English gainsayen : gain-, against (from Old English gegn-) + sayen, to say (from Old English secgan; see say).]
gain·say'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gainsay 
"to contradict," c.1300, lit. "say against," from O.E. gegn- "against" + say. "Solitary survival of a once common prefix" [Weekley], which was used to form such now-obsolete compounds as gain-taking "taking back again," gainclap "a counterstroke," gainbuy "redeem," and gainstand "to oppose."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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