Where does “not” come from?

not (Low German) comes from Proto-Germanic hnōjaną, from Proto-Indo-European kneh₂- — to bite, to gnaw.

Ancestry of “not”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanichnōjanąto smooth, join together
2Proto-Indo-Europeankneh₂-to bite, to gnaw

Words derived from “not”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kneh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hnōjaną →