Not
/nɑt/noun
A word used to negate a statement or word.
Did you know?English not descends from a Proto-Indo-European negative particle that spread through Germanic languages, showing how one of the smallest words in English carries one of humanity’s oldest tools for denial and contradiction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ne
“Negative particle, “not””
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ne
“Negative particle, “not””
Old English
OE
nāwiht / nōt
“Nothing, not at all; later reinforced as a negative adverb”
Middle English
ME
not
“Negative particle used to deny or negate”
Modern English
English
not
“Used to make a statement negative”