Where does “not” come from?
not (Middle English) comes from Middle English nought, from Old English nōwiht, from Old English ne, from Old English ealles, from Old English -es, from Proto-Germanic -as, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
not (Middle English): not; nothing, nought; nobody, no person
Definitions
- not; nothing, nought; nobody, no person
Ancestry of “not”, step by step
not traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English nought
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nought | nothing, none; not; iniquitous, wicked |
| 2 | Old English | nōwiht | — |
| 3 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 4 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 5 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |