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not definition

Overview

This page has 37 definitions of not with English translations in 13 languages. Not is an adverb, conjunction, interjection, noun, verb, contraction and adjective. Examples of how to use not in a sentence are shown. Also define these 0 related words and terms: .

See also: Not, NOT, nòt, nót, nôt, nốt, nőt, not., and Appendix:Variations of "not"

English not definition

Etymology

From Middle English not, nat, variant of noght, naht (“not, nothing”), from Old English *nōht, nāht (“nought, nothing”), short for nōwiht, nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “not anything”), corresponding to ne (“not”) + ōwiht, āwiht (“anything”), corresponding to ā (“ever, always”) + wiht (“thing, creature”).

Cognate with Scots nat, naucht (“not”), Saterland Frisian nit (“not”), West Frisian net (“not”), Dutch niet (“not”), German nicht (“not”). Compare nought, naught and aught. More at no, wight, whit.

Alternatively, from Middle English ne (“not”) or none + oughte (“ought, should”), with the latter reinforcing the former.

Pronunciation

Adverb

not (not comparable)

  1. Negates the meaning of the modified verb.
    ‘Do they know?’ ‘I believe not’ (formal)
    Did you take out the trash? No, I did not.
    Not knowing any better, I went ahead.
  2. To no degree.
    That is not red; it's green.
    It's not you, it's me.
  3. (understatement, litotes) Used to indicate the opposite or near opposite, often in a form of understatement.
    That day was not the best day of my life. (meaning the day was bad or awful)
    It was not my favorite movie of all time. (meaning the speaker dislikes or strongly dislikes the movie)
    In the not too distant future my view on the matter might be not a million miles away from yours.

Usage notes

In modern usage, do-support requires that the form do not ... (or don’t ...) be preferred to ... not for all but a short list of verbs (be, have, can, shall, will, would, may, must, need, ought):

  • They do not sow. (modern) vs. They sow not. (KJB)

American usage tends to prefer don’t have or haven’t got to have not or haven’t, except when have is used as an auxiliary (or in the idiom have-not):

  • I don’t have a clue or I haven’t got a clue. (US)
  • I haven’t a clue or I haven’t got a clue. (outside US)
  • I haven’t been to Spain. (universal)

The verb need is only directly negated when used as an auxiliary; this usage is rare in the US but common elsewhere.

  • You don’t need to trouble yourself. (common in US)
  • You needn’t trouble yourself. (common outside US)
  • I don’t need any eggs today. (universal)

The verb dare can sometimes be directly negated.

  • I daren't do that.

The verb do, as a main verb, takes do not.

  • He does not do that.

In the imperative, all verbs, including be, take do not.

  • Don't do that.
  • Don't be silly. (not *Be not silly.)

In the infinitive, verbs must be negated directly. In this case not cannot appear after the verb; some authorities recommend placing it before to to avoid a split infinitive, but for most speakers the forms not to do and to not do are more or less interchangeable, with the latter being mostly informal.

  • The objective is not to lose or The objective is to not lose.
  • I wanted not to go or I wanted to not go. (Note the difference between this and I didn't want to go, where want is the verb being negated.)

In the subjunctive mood, do-support is not used for negation; not is placed by itself, or with should, immediately before the verb it modifies, even be:

  • They suggested that he (should) not do it.
  • The law requires that it (should) not be done.

Derived terms

Related terms

negates meaning of verb

Translations

Conjunction

not

  1. And not.
    I wanted a plate of shrimp, not a bucket of chicken.
    He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple.

Usage notes

  • The construction “A, not B” is synonymous with the constructions “A, and not B”; “not B, but A”; and “not B, but rather A”.

Translations

Interjection

not!

  1. (slang) Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically. [chiefly 1990s]
    I really like hanging out with my little brother watching Barney … not!
    Sure, you’re perfect the way you are … not!
    • 1911 March, Zane Grey, “Out on the Field”, in The Young Pitcher, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, OCLC 855302514, page 64:
      You've got a swell chance to make this [baseball] team, you have, not! Third base is my job, Freshie. Why, you tow-head, you couldn't play marbles. You butter-finger, can't you stop anything?
    • 1949, E.E 'Doc' Smith, chapter XIV, in Skylark of Valeron, London: Panther, page 134:
      "See?" "Uh-huh! Clear and lucid to the point of limpidity - 'not."

Synonyms

Translations

Translations

See also

Noun

not (plural nots)

  1. Alternative letter-case form of NOT

Usage notes

Boolean operators and states are commonly written in all uppercase in order to distinguish them from the ordinary uses of the words.

Translations

See also

References

  • not at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

Albanian not definition

Etymology

From notoj.

Noun

not m

  1. swim

Related terms

  • notoj (“to swim”), bën not (“to swim”)

Ambonese Malay not definition

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Dutch uitnodiging.

Verb

not

  1. to invite

Noun

not

  1. invitation
    Beta dapat not par pigi makang patiti.
    I received an invitation for dinner.

References

  • D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998) Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia‎[1], Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa

Aromanian not definition

Etymology 1

From Greek νότος (nótos).

Alternative forms

Noun

not m

  1. dry wind from the south
Synonyms
  • iug

See also

Etymology 2

Verb

not

  1. Alternative form of anot to swim

Etymology 3

From anot (“I swim”). Compare Italian nuoto, Portuguese nado.

Noun

not m

  1. swim, swimming
Synonyms
  • notalui

Danish not definition

Etymology 1

From German Nut.

Noun

not c (singular definite noten, plural indefinite noter)

  1. (mechanics) A groove.
Inflection
Declension of not
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative not noten noter noterne
genitive nots notens noters noternes

Etymology 2

From Norwegian not.

Noun

not c or n (singular definite noten or notet, plural indefinite noter or not)

  1. (fishing) seine net
    Synonym: snurpenot
Inflection
Declension of not
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative not noten
notet 		noter
not 		noterne
notene
genitive nots notens
notets 		noters
nots 		noternes
notenes
Derived terms
  • snurpenot

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

not

  1. imperative of note

German not definition

Pronunciation

Adverb

not

  1. Only used in nottun

Icelandic not definition

Pronunciation

Noun

not n pl (plurale tantum)

  1. use

Declension

declension of not
n-s plural
indefinite definite
nominative not notin
accusative not notin
dative notum notunum
genitive nota notanna

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • koma að notum (to be of use, to be useful)

Related terms

Indonesian not definition

Etymology

From Dutch noot, from Middle Dutch note, from Old French note, from Latin nota. Doublet of nota.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnɔt/
  • Hyphenation: not

Noun

not

  1. (music) note, a character, variously formed, to indicate the length of a tone, and variously placed upon the staff to indicate its pitch.
    Synonym: titi nada

Compounds

  • not angka
  • not balok
  • not bantu
  • not bendera
  • not garis
  • not seperdelapan
  • not seperempat
  • not spasi
 

Further reading

Luxembourgish not definition

Adjective

not

  1. strong/weak nominative/accusative neuter singular of no

Middle English not definition

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Reduction of nought (from Old English nāwiht, nōwiht).

Alternative forms

Adverb

not

  1. not (negates the accompanying verb)
    Þei ne bileveden hire not. ― They didn't believe her.
  2. not (to no degree, extent, or way)
    Þou art not weyke. ― You aren't weak.
Descendants
References

Noun

not (uncountable)

  1. nothing, nought
  2. (rare) nobody, no person
Descendants
  • English: not
  • Scots: nat (obsolete)
References

Etymology 2

From Old English nāt, first and third person singular of nitan, equivalent to ne +‎ woot and ne +‎ witen.

Alternative forms

Contraction

not

  1. Contraction of ne woot; not to know.
Related terms

Norwegian Nynorsk not definition

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Norse nót.

Noun

not f (plural nota)

  1. Alternative spelling of nót

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German.

Noun

not f (definite singular nota, indefinite plural noter, definite plural notene)

  1. alternative spelling of nót

Etymology 3

From Old Norse hnot.

Noun

not f (definite singular nota, indefinite plural neter, definite plural netene)

  1. alternative spelling of nòt (non-standard since 2012)

References

Anagrams

Old English not definition

Alternative forms

  • nōt

Etymology

From Latin nota.

Pronunciation

Noun

not m (nominative plural notas)

  1. a sign; mark; a mark made on an object

Declension

Declension of not (strong a-stem)
Case Singular Plural
nominative not notas
accusative not notas
genitive notes nota
dative note notum

Descendants

Old Swedish not definition

Etymology

From Old Norse nót, from Proto-Germanic *nōtō.

Pronunciation

Noun

nōt f

  1. net, seine

Declension

Declension of nōt (ō-stem)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative nōt nōtin nōta(r) nōtana(r)
accusative nōt nōtina, -ena nōta(r) nōtana(r)
dative nōt nōtinni, -inne nōtum, -om nōtumin, -omen
genitive nōta(r) nōtinnar nōta nōtanna

Descendants

Romansch not definition

Alternative forms

  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) notg

Etymology

From Latin noctem, accusative of nox, from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.

Noun

not f (plural nots)

  1. (Puter, Vallader) night

Scottish Gaelic not definition

Pronunciation

Noun

not m (genitive singular not, plural notaichean)

  1. Alternative form of nota

Swedish not definition

Etymology 1

From Old French note (noun), noter (verb), both from Latin nota.

Pronunciation

Noun

not c

  1. (music) note.
  2. a short message; note.
  3. (diplomacy) a formal message from a country to another country’s embassy.
Declension
Declension of not 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative not noten noter noterna
Genitive nots notens noters noternas

Derived terms

  • med på noterna

Related terms

Etymology 2

Related to nät (“net”).

Noun

not c

  1. seine
Declension
Declension of not 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative not noten notar notarna
Genitive nots notens notars notarnas

Anagrams

Tok Pisin not definition

Etymology

From English North.

Noun

not

  1. North

Turkish not definition

Etymology

From French note.

Noun

not (definite accusative notu, plural notlar)

  1. a short message; note
    Not: Seni seviyorum. ― PS: I love you.

Declension

Inflection
Nominative not
Definite accusative notu
Singular Plural
Nominative not notlar
Definite accusative notu notları
Dative nota notlara
Locative notta notlarda
Ablative nottan notlardan
Genitive notun notların
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