Where does “nowise” come from?
Nowise comes from Middle English no-wyse, a compound of "no" and "wyse" meaning "way" or "manner," denoting something done in no way or not at all.
nowise (English): no way, no manner, definitely not
Definitions
- no way, no manner, definitely not
Ancestry of “nowise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nowyse | — |
| 2 | Middle English | no | no |
| 3 | Old English | nā | no |
| 4 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 5 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 6 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |