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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. Used to express refusal, denial, disbelief, emphasis, or disagreement: No, I'm not going. No, you're wrong.
  2. adv. Not at all; not by any degree. Often used with the comparative: no better; no more.
  3. adv. Not: whether or no.
  4. n. A negative response; a denial or refusal: The proposal produced only noes.
  5. n. A negative vote or voter.
  6. interj. Used to express strong refusal, doubt, or disbelief.
  7. adj. Not any; not one; not a: No cookies are left.
  8. adj. Not at all; not close to being: He is no child.
  9. adj. Hardly any: got there in no time flat. See Usage Note at nor1.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Not ever; never; not at all; not.
  2. Not so; nay; not: with implied, but not expressed, repetition of a preceding (or succeeding) statement denied or question answered in the negative, with change of person if necessary. This is practically equivalent to a complete sentence with its affirmation denied: as, “Was he here yesterday?” “No”—that is, “he was not here yesterday.” It is therefore the negative categorematic particle, equivalent to nay, and opposed to yes or yea, the affirmative categorematic particles. The fine distinction alleged to have formerly existed between no and nay, according to which no answered questions negatively framed, as, “Will he not come? No,” while nay answered those not including a negative, as, “Will he come? Nay,” is hardly borne out hy the records. No and nay are ultimately identical in origin, and their differences of use (nay being restricted in use and no now largely superseded by not) are accidental.
  3. In answer to a request (expressed or anticipated): in this use often repeated for emphasis: as, no, no, do not ask me.
  4. Used parenthetically in iteration of another negative.
  5. Used continuatively, in iteration and amplification of a previous negative, expressed or understood.
  6. Not: used after or, at the end of a sentence or clause, as the representative of an independent negative sentence or clause, the first clause being often introduced by whether or if: as, he is uncertain whether to accept it or no; he may take it or no, as he pleases.
  7. See no. adverb
  8. n. A denial; the word of denial.
  9. n. A negative vote, or a person who votes in the negative: as, the noes have it.
  10. Nor.
  11. Not any; not one; none.
  12. No is used, like not in similar constructions, with a word of depreciation or diminution, to denote a certain degree of excellence, small or great according to circumstances.
  13. Not in any degree; not at all; in no respect; not: used with a comparative: as, no longer: no shorter; no more; wo less.
  14. An abbreviation of the Latin numero, ablative of numerus, number: used for English number, and so as a plural Nos.: as, No. 2, and Nos, 9 and 10.
  15. n. In Japan, a sort of dignified operatic performance consisting of music and dancing, with recitation. The carved masks worn by the performers indicate the characters portrayed.
  16. n. An abbreviation
  17. n. of northern
  18. n. In chem., the symbol for noriurn.
  19. An abbreviation of not otherwise provided for.

Wiktionary

  1. Not any.
  2. Not any possibility or allowance of (doing something).
  3. Not (a); not properly, not really; not fully.
  4. adv. Not.
  5. adv. Not any, not at all.
  6. prep. Used to show disagreement or negation.
  7. prep. Used to show agreement with a negative question.
  8. n. A negating expression; an answer that shows disagreement or disapproval.
  9. n. A vote not in favor, or opposing a proposition.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Not any; not one; none; ; -- often used as a quantifier.
  2. adv. Nay; not; not at all; not in any respect or degree; -- a word expressing negation, denial, or refusal. Before or after another negative, no is emphatic.
  3. n. A refusal by use of the word no; a denial.
  4. n. A negative vote; one who votes in the negative
  5. n. abbreviated Number; -- the number designating place in an ordered sequence.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. referring to the degree to which a certain quality is present
  2. adj. quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns for indicating a complete or almost complete lack or zero quantity of
  3. adv. used to express refusal or denial or disagreement etc or especially to emphasize a negative statement
  4. adv. not in any degree or manner; not at all
  5. n. a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding curium with carbon ions; 7 isotopes are known
  6. n. a negative
  7. n. the number designating place in an ordered sequence

Etymologies

  1. From Middle English no, na, from Old English ,  ("never"), from Proto-Germanic *nai (“never”), *nē (“not”), from Proto-Indo-European *ne, *nē, *nēy (negative particle), equivalent to Old English ne ("not") + ā, ō ("ever, always"). Cognate with West Frisian  ("no"), West Frisian nea ("never"), Dutch nee ("no"), Low German nee ("no"), German nie ("never"), Icelandic nei ("no"). More at nay. (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, from Old English : ne, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + ā, ever; see aiw- in Indo-European roots.Middle English, variant of non, from Old English nān, none : ne, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + ān, one; see one. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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  • sakhalinskii Means no. It does not mean yes, or maybe. Jul 30, 2008

  • oroboros Like some baseball caps: on backwards. NYT crossword answer. Mar 26, 2008

  • oroboros No. Chemical element symbol for Nobelium. Dec 15, 2007

  • slumry That is what shoo means here, too--my father used to shoo the barn cats regularly. Jun 27, 2007

  • muamor Same thing as far as I'm concerned. But remember, I'm a tourist. ;o} Jun 27, 2007

  • slumry Shoo as in scram? Jun 27, 2007

  • muamor Finland. Shoo, negativity, shoo. *waving her hands frantically* Jun 27, 2007

  • uselessness What kind of negative place do you live in? :-) Jun 27, 2007

  • muamor 'no' means well as in: Well, what do you mean then? Jun 27, 2007

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‘no’ has been looked up 9561 times, loved by 4 people, added to 65 lists, commented on 9 times, and has a Scrabble score of 2.