nay

- 4 dictionary results

nay

[ney]

–adverb

1.	and not only so but; not only that but also; indeed: many good, nay, noble qualities.

2.	Archaic. no (used in dissent, denial, or refusal).

–noun

3.	a denial or refusal.

4.	a negative vote or voter.

Origin:
1125–75; ME nai, nei < ON nei no, contr. of ne not + ei ever; see na, ay ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To nay

nay (nā)

adv.

No: All but four Democrats voted nay.
And moreover: He was ill-favored, nay, hideous.

A denial or refusal.
A negative vote or voter.

[Middle English, from Old Norse nei : ne, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + ei, ever; see aiw- in Indo-European roots.]

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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Slang Dictionary

nay

mod.
ugly; unfavorable. (From nasty.) : What a nay thing to say.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

nay

word of negation, c.1175, from O.N. nei, compound of ne "not" (see un-) + ei "ever." Nay-say "refusal" is from 1631.

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