Where does “nope” come from?

nope (French) comes from English nope, from English ope, from Middle English ope, from Old English open, from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic upanaz, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

nope (French): A tuft of wool; a knot in a fabric; nap; nope

Definitions

  1. A tuft of wool; a knot in a fabric; nap; nope

Ancestry of “nope”, step by step

nope traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English nope

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnopeNo; A negative reply, no; An intensely...
2EnglishopeOpen; To open
3Middle Englishopeopen
4Old Englishopenopen
5Proto-West Germanic*opanopen
6Proto-Germanicupanazopen
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

via Dutch noppe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchnoppe—
2Old Dutchnoppo—
3Proto-Germanichnuppôa tuft or flock of wool; a knot in a cloth or...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanknew-to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub
5Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →