Where does “nay” come from?

Nay comes from Middle English nai, from Old Norse nei, from Old Norse ne, from Proto-Indo-European ne, a negation particle.

nay (English): No; Introducing a statement, without direct...

Definitions

  1. No; Introducing a statement, without direct...

Ancestry of “nay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnaino
2Old Norseneino
3Proto-Germanicnainever
4Proto-Indo-Europeannénot; no

Words derived from “nay”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European né →Every word from Proto-Germanic nai →Every word from Old Norse nei →