| 释义 |
▪ I. no, a.|nəʊ|
Forms: α. 2–6 (9) na, (4 nai), 8–9 naa, nae, etc.; 6, 9 nea, 7 neay, 9 neah, nee(a, ney(e, ne, etc. β. 4–6 noo, 5, 7, noe, 3– no.
[Reduced form of nān, nōn none a., originally used only before consonants.]
No occurs in a considerable number of common phrases as no bones, no end, by no means, etc., which are treated under the various ns. In some cases, as no doubt, no wonder, etc., there is often an ellipse of the verb. For no other see other a. 5 b and 6 a; also otherwise A.
I.
1. Not any. a. Accompanied by other negatives (or redundant). Now only dial. or illiterate.
a1200Moral Ode 80 in O.E. Hom. I. 165 Nis na [c 1250 no] lauerd swich se is crist. c1205Lay. 25311 Na [c 1275 no] gauel he nule bringe. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 304 Þat deol þat made Innogen no tonge telle ne may. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 6802 For God no synne wyl þey nat lete. 1340Ayenb. 83 No solas ne no confort me ne onder⁓vangþ bote of him. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 1749 Lucretia, By no crafte hire beaute was not feyned. c1400tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 63 Ne gyf þou no credence to no wymmen. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 19 Thair micht na folk hald na fute on the heich fell. a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 216 b, The communaltie coulde not be compelled by no commaundement to tarye at home. 1567Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 144 Lat neuer na euill thing vs befall. 1596Spenser F.Q. v. xii. 11 Sith no redemption nigh she did nor heare, nor see. 1674Answ. States General in Phenix (1708) I. 288 England had never no thoughts of securing this Right of the Flag by a formal Treaty. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 57, I had lost no time, nor abated no Diligence. 1871Mrs. H. Wood Dene Hollow xxxi, ‘'Tain't no good your stopping’, he..said. 1896[see con v.]. 1897[see class n. 5 b]. 1968Listener 20 June 796/3 He's not going to be put in no poorhouse.
b. Without other negative.
αa1300Cursor M. 16 Wit sarazins wald þai na saght. c1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 2462 Na syn þan unrekend sal be, Þogh it war never swa prive. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 371 Quhar it failȝeys, na wertu May be off price. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) Pref. 2 A flokk of schepe þat has na schephird. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 167 Nychtbouris gude that he had na clame to. 1508Kennedy Flyting w. Dunbar 444 Thare is na lorde that will in seruice tak the. 1583Leg. Bp. St. Androis 78 in Satir. Poems Reform., He had nea toung for to denye it. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 58 Another Ile,..quhair nae kynd of cattail is fund. Ibid. 78 Maid abrogat, and of na effecte. 1684[Meriton] Yorksh. Dial. 26 It'l git neay Cawd, it's bedded up to th' Een. 1721Ramsay Prospect Plenty 15 Nae nation in the warld. 1785J. Hutton Bran New Wark (E.D.S.) 184 Naa prawling wolf, naa cunning fox iver escap'd my eye. 1786Burns Dream vii, Let nae saving-fit Abridge your bonie Barges. 1804Galloway Poems 69 (E.D.D.), In argument ne papist e'er could ding him. 1827J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 353 There's nae kindness like kindness frae the haun o' a woman. 1833York Minster Screen 60 T'other had ne'a business there.
β1362Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 9 Of oþer heuene þen heer holde þei no tale. 1390Gower Conf. I. 7 The citees knewen no debat. c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 32 Deth, fro which no wight lyvyng Defendyn hym may. c1449Pecock Repr. i. xviii. 102 Noo bischop or archideken or doctour. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 1 b, Specyally to suche that vnderstande no latyn. 1542Udall in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 3 Noo sikenes, noo losse of worldly goodes, none ympresonyng, noo tormentes. 1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. i. 97 There is no neede of any such redresse. 1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1626) 19 There is no tree like this for soundnesse. 1667Pepys Diary 9 Aug., I perceive Sir W. Coventry does really make no difference between any man. a1687Petty Pol. Arith. (1690) Pref., That there is no Trade nor Employment for the People. 1712W. Rogers Voy. R. World 419 They added, that they had no Embarkations, but one Ship. 1790Burke Fr. Rev. 42 Our constitution has made no sort of provision towards rendering him..responsible. 1815Jane Austen Emma xix, There is no comparison between them. 1839–52Bailey Festus 417 Thou hadst no need, no business to have loved me. 1891Law Times Rep. LXIII. 691/1 There was no evidence that Nunney had authority to arrest.
c. In elliptic phrases.
For other phrases and proverbs, see the ns.
1531Tindale Expos. 1 John Wks. (1573) 395/1 O Popishe forgiuenesse with whom it goeth after the common prouerbe, no peny no pardon. 1640Bagshaw in Rushw. (1721) III. ii. 1343 Episcopacy is inseparable to the Crown of England; and therefore it is commonly now said, No Bishop no King, no Mitre no Scepter. c1645Howell Lett. II. xviii, I am of the Italians mind that said, Nulla nuova, buona nuova, no news, good news. 1701Lond. Gaz. No. 3740/4 Deputations, commonly call'd ‘No Purchase no Pay’, for seizing Uncustomed and Prohibited Goods to certain Persons. 1751J. Bridges (title) No foot, no horse. 1855Bain Senses & Int. i. ii. §25 It seems as if we might say, no currents, no mind.
†d. Any. Obs. rare—1.
c1500Melusine 242 The Duches is brought to bed of the most fayrest sone that euer was seen in no land.
e. no one, nobody, no person. (See one 24.)
1601Shakes. Twel. N. ii. iv. 58 My part of death no one so true did share it. a1719Smalridge Serm (J.), No one who doeth good to those only..can ever be fully satisfied of his own sincerity. 1829Southey Sir T. More (1831) II. 421 Such transactions as no one,..half a century ago, would have been ashamed of. 1861Pycroft Agony Point (1862) 35 No one has room to do much more than jostle together.
2. Qualifying a noun and adj. in close connexion, usually implying that an adj. of an opposite meaning would be more correct or appropriate.
For examples of no such (thing, etc.), see such a.
c1350in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 17/1 All þouh þei made no gret nois, He onswerd, as he hed herd heore vois. 1390Gower Conf. I. 46 Sche cast on me no goodly chiere. c1449Pecock Repr. iv. viii. 468 Thei be not necessarie neither thei ben in no notable degree better. c1500Trevelyan Papers (Camden) 98 Whiche will amounte, yf hyt be well handelyd, to no lyttle summe. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 41 It is upon no lyght consyderation omitted. 1597Gerarde Herbal i. ii. 3 This grasse is vnpleasant, and no wholesome food for cattell. 1641Burges Serm. 62 This is no Empiricall Dosis, but a Probatum est. 1671Milton Samson 650 This one prayer yet remains,..No long petition. 1715M. Davies Athen. Brit. I. 235 This sort of Meditation is still..in no small esteem and practice. 1772Ann. Reg. i. 91 It makes no inconsiderable addition to the revenue of the crown. 1826Disraeli Viv. Grey v. vii, With no pleased air. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 528 On this man his party had long relied for services of no honourable kind. 1877Tennyson Sir J. Franklin 4 Thou..Art passing on thy happier voyage now Toward no earthly pole.
b. Preceded by the or personal pronoun. Now only with no small or little.
1559in Strype Ann. Ref. (1709) I. ii. App. ix. 439 Falsifinge..the scriptures, to the no small admiration of all the learned readers. 1581Mulcaster Positions v. (1887) 26 Which the most munificent God, by his no niggardishe nature, prouided for them both. 1647Cowley Mistr., Request vi, Dost thou deny onely to me The no-great privilege of Captivitie?
3. Qualifying a n. in the predicate: Not (a).
1388Wyclif Jer. ii. 11 Certeynli thei ben no goddis. 1390Gower Conf. I. 340 Who that is of man no king, The remenant is as no thing. c1450Holland Howlat 239 Thir ar na fowlis of reif. a1500in C. Trice-Martin Chanc. Proc. 15th c. (1904) 5 Saiying that it was noo season for a man of his ordre to walke so late. 1532More Confut. Tindale Wks. 450/1, I take Moyses for no leder of y⊇ children of Israel. 1596Harington Metam. Ajax Pref. (1814) 10 A stream that seems to be no stream, by corn fields that seem no fields, down a street no street. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 157 Great Personages, who otherwise are no Nymrods vpon earth. 1650Bounds Publ. Obed. (ed. 2) 47 The remaining Members make no House. 1721Wodrow Hist. Suff. Ch. Scot. (1838) I. i. ii. 112 Mr. Dickson replied, he well knew his grace was no coward. 1749Smollett Gil Blas i. i, He chose a wife..who, though she was no chicken, brought me into the world ten months after her marriage. 1798Ferriar Illustr. Sterne, etc. iii. 55 Sterne was no friend to gravity. 1815Elphinstone Acc. Caubul (1842) I. 329 Wanton cruelty and insolence are no part of the Afghaun character. 1839–52Bailey Festus 48 Inspiration cometh from above, And is no labour. 1895Bookman Oct. 22/2 He was no ruler of consummate ability.
b. Denoting approximation to nullity, as in it is no distance.
1832J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn II. xvii. 220 Which..would produce a cure ‘in almost no time’. 1868G. G. Channing Early Recoll. Newport R.I. 143 The money was..arranged as to facilitate the payments in ‘no time’, understood in my day, to mean the shortest period. 1891L. Falconer Mlle. Ixe vi. 165 [The mare] will get over to Carchester in no time.
4. Qualifying a verbal n. or gerund in the predicate, denoting the impossibility of the action specified.
1560Bible (Genev.) Nahum iii. 19 There is no healing of thy wounde. 1591Shakes. Two Gent. ii. i. 161 Val. No, beleeue me. Speed. No beleeuing you indeed sir. 1641Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 108 So the people were so impetuously set upon their lusts, that there was no speaking to them. 1650Trapp Comm. Deut. iv. 25 Thou thinkest there is no removing thee. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 345 There was no keeping Friday in the boat. 1753Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 54 There is no going any where without meeting Pretenders in this Way. 1820W. Irving Sketch Bk., Little Britain, Do what they might, there was no keeping down the butcher. 1850Thackeray Pendennis xv, There's no accounting for tastes, sir. 1895Shand Life Sir E. B. Hamley I. ii. 21 There was no mistaking the meaning of the invitation, and there was no declining it.
II. In combination with ns. or adjs.
5. a. Denoting that the thing (or person) in question cannot properly be called by that name, owing to the absence of the specific qualities implied by it, as no-faith, no-form, no-jest, etc. (Very common after 1600.)
1565T. Stapleton Fortr. Faith 103* Ye see a clere difference..betwene the doctrine..of our firste auncient faith, and of this vpstert no faith. 1610B. Jonson Alch. i. i, A..thredden cloake That scarce would cover your no-buttocks. 1631Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 54 Inuenting..a new certaine no-forme of Liturgie to themselues. a1704T. Brown Praise Poverty Wks. 1730 I. 98 Laugh immoderately at his own no-jest. 1742Fielding J. Andrews iv. vii, They..have been thoroughly frightened with certain no-persons called ghosts. 1786A. M. Bennett Juvenile Indiscr. V. 220 Effeminacy, and these other nothings, that constitute the no-character of a modern beau. 1814Jefferson Writ. (1830) IV. 239, I frankly confide to yourself these opinions, or rather no opinions of mine. 1850Merivale Rom. Emp. I. (1865) VI. 182 The common story of Messalina's impudent no-marriage. 1880Carnegie Pract. Trap. 13 A dog such as I have described, whatever be his breed or his no-breed.
b. Denoting entire absence of the thing named.
In quot. 1948 the sense is ‘without the use of the hands’.
1603Florio Montaigne ii. xii. (1632) 247 To make them feele the emptinesse, vacuitie, and no worth of man. 1649Bp. Hall Cases Conscience iii. ix. (1654) 262 Under the pain of a no-remission. 1680Dodwell Two Lett. To Rdr. 18 Subjects would discover..the no-necessity of those reasons produced for their Separation. 1700T. Brown Lett. fr. Dead II. 204 Walking in the Middle Temple..to get them a Stomach to their No-dinners. 1796Morse Am. Univ. Geog. I. 214 Dobchick or Notail. 1835Court Mag. VI. 9/2 His cab is the perfection of ‘quiet’ no-pretence. Ibid. 49/2 We have named its absolute no-pretension as regards the self-supposed claims of its owner. 1896Boscawen Bible & Monum. 166 The land of No-Return, the region of darkness. 1898Westm. Gaz. 5 Sept. 3/3 It is the low prices which produce the ‘no-profit’. 1940Ann. Reg. 1939 253 A vote of no-confidence was carried in the Lower Chamber. 1948D. Ballantyne Cunninghams i. xviii. 92 Ralph showed off, riding no⁓hands and skidding in the loose metal. 1954F. C. Avis Boxing Reference Dict. 75 No contest, a declaration of the referee that the fight is null and void, usually because both contestants are making no serious efforts at boxing. Ibid., No-count, a slipping to the floor of the ring but getting up again before the count begins. 1956J. G. Porter in A. Pryce-Jones New Outl. Mod. Knowledge 142 Adaptable as he [sc. man] is, can he exist for any length of time under conditions of no-gravity? 1957L. F. R. Williams State of Israel 158 The four years of the legislature's statutory life (which is, of course, always liable to be shortened by a vote of no-confidence). 1960Times 5 July 18/2 Edwards has had 10 contests and won nine of them, featuring rather unluckily in a no-contest (or double disqualification). 1973Houston (Texas) Chron. Mag. People, Places, Pleasures 14 Oct. 8/4 Agnew..pleaded no contest—in effect, guilty—to cheating on his income tax.
c. With derivative ns. in various senses, as no-poperist, one who is for ‘no popery’; no-religionist, one who is of no religion; etc.
1827Syd. Smith in Lady Holland Mem. (1855) II. 273 Jesuits abroad—Turks in Greece—No-Poperists in England! 1838Hawthorne Amer. Note-bks. (1883) 169 A group of Universalists and no-religionists sat around him. 1882–3Schaff Encycl. Relig. Knowl. III. 2167 The wave of no-sabbathism now sweeping from Europe to America. 1886Pall Mall G. 28 July 3/1 The right of the Government to deal with No-Renters as with rebels.
d. Used in various colloq. phrases, as no strings, no conditions or obligations; also attrib. (cf. string n.); no stuff, no joking; no sweat, no bother, no trouble.
1909‘O. Henry’ Options (1916) 50 I've told you.. my oral sentiments, and there's no strings to 'em. 1946Mezzrow & Wolfe Really Blues (1957) 376 No stuff, no kidding. 1952A. Huxley Let. 12 Oct. (1969) 658 The thing should start in a small way, but with adequate equipment, no strings and no red tape. 1955Amer. Speech XXX. 118 No sweat, no strain n. phr. used adjectivally, easy, no trouble, no difficulty. 1960Ibid. XXXV. 122 No sweat, the GI's reaction to an unpleasant, but necessary task. 1963Daily Mail 11 Nov. 8/8 Mumble⁓mouth especially knows how to blow flicks that cop bread, no-sweat style (knows how to succeed in movies without really trying). 1965Economist 6 Mar. 980/3 In effect, the family doctors will get a no-strings pay rise averaging 9 per cent. 1970Times 18 Aug. 15 Following the February {pstlg}13m no-strings pay deal..union officials have been conducting a wages and conditions survey of motor plants in Britain. 1970C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 85 No stuff, expression that implies sincerity. 1972‘H. Howard’ Nice Day for Funeral iii. 45 He respects me as a person. No strings. 1972Publishers Weekly 16 Oct. 17/1 Mrs Wallach complains that she cannot use plastic book jackets on books with maps on the inside covers. No sweat! We paste the book pocket..on the next inside page, [etc.]. 1973K. Giles File on Death vi. 153 No sweat, mate... We're not looking for trouble.
e. Denoting the complete emptying of the mind described in Buddhist, and esp. Zen, philosophy as no-mind, no-thought, etc.
1934D. T. Suzuki Essays in Zen Buddhism III. ii. 84 ‘Mind is still subject to measurement. Who is the Buddha?’ ‘No-mind is he.’ 1949― Zen Doctrine of No-Mind 29 When..the seeing of self-nature has no reference to a specific state of consciousness, which can be logically or relatively defined as a something, the Zen Masters designate it in negative terms and call it ‘no-thought’ or ‘no mind’, wu-nien or wu-hsin. 1956A. Huxley Adonis & Alphabet 34 No-thought not-thinks about the world in terms of no-things. Ibid., In Zen the virgin consciousness was called Wu-nien or Wu-hsin—no-mind or no-thought. 1959C. C. Chang Practice of Zen ii. 59 The so-called No-mind (Chinese: Wu hsin) is not like day, wood, or stone, that is, utterly devoid of consciousness; nor does the term imply that the mind stands still without any reaction when it contacts objects or circumstances in the world. It..is natural and spontaneous at all times... There is nothing impure within it; neither does it remain in a state of impurity. When one observes his body and mind, he sees them as magic shadows or as a dream... When he reaches this point, then he can be considered as having arrived at the true state of No-mind. 1959D. T. Suzuki Zen & Jap. Culture iv. 74 All things are accomplished when one attains a mind of ‘no-mind-ness’ according to the great Zen master. 1960A. Koestler Lotus & Robot ii. x. 240 It [sc. Zen] proclaims to be the philosophy of no-mind (Wu-hsin), of no-thought (Wu-mien)..and of ‘going ahead without hesitation’. 1966P. Kapleau Three Pillars of Zen ii. v. 201 Mindlessness, on the other hand, or ‘no-mindness’ as it has been called, is a condition of such complete absorption that there is no vestige of self⁓awareness.
6. In attrib. phrases:
a. Denoting objection or opposition to the thing in question, as no-popery man, etc.
1827Edin. Rev. XLV. 437 Ready to join his No-Popery corps. 1840Dickens Barn. Rudge xxxviii, I'm a No-Popery man, and ready to be sworn in. 1855L. Hunt Old Crt. Suburb I. 127 Just in his..‘no-nonsense’ style; what his opponents call ‘heavy’. 1884Pall Mall G. 10 Dec. 6/1 Stopping the supplies by adopting a No Rent manifesto. 1892Daily News 11 Mar. 5/7 The no-surrender attitude which the vast majority of the men have assumed.
b. Denoting absence of the thing named, as no-school poet, one belonging to no school; etc. Also, denoting absence of necessity for. See also no-fines a. (n.)
1832Southey in Q. Rev. XLVII. 95 The other of these no-school poets favoured us with some samples of his poetry. 1858Holmes Aut. Breakf. T. xii, A real, genuine, no-mistake Osiris. 1881Times 6 Jan. 4/6 Similar volumes..on the Pycnogonids or no-body crabs. 1898Daily News 13 Oct. 4/4 The Cape Ministry has resigned in consequence of the No-Confidence Vote on Tuesday night. 1902R. Machray Night Side of London ii. 23 The clubs, both high-class and no-class, are not all closed. 1930E. Pound XXX Cantos vii. 27 Brown-yellow wood, and the no colour plaster. 1936‘J. Beynon’ Planet Plane 58, I didn't think we were going to hit the no-gravity zone so soon. 1939No class [see billiard-hall (billiards 2)]. 1955N.Y. Times 13 Feb. iii. 8/1 The favorite fabric is the no-iron type. 1958Economist 1 Nov. 435/2 Nobody really doubts that ‘no deposit’ business will also be done. 1961P. White Riders in Chariot viii. 233 For Chrisake! Who am I to know what is up to every no-hope Jew that comes to the country? 1963B. Fozard Instrumentation Nuclear Reactors xi. 132 The reading of the voltmeter may be corrected to zero under no-signal conditions. 1969New Statesman 18 July 80/1 ‘It's a gas, man, it's a rave,’ says a no-bra girl. 1970Globe & Mail (Toronto) 26 Sept. 1/5 (caption) Empty cans and no-deposit bottles lie around a tree. 1971Flying (N.Y.) Apr. 18/2 The evidence seemed clear that the no-accident day had been moved from Thursday to Tuesday. 1972Guardian 2 Nov. 10/3 A no-hope telephonist with an invalid mother, an illegitimate child and a bad communication problem. 1973Times 19 Mar. 21/1 The United States Justice Department filed both civil and criminal suits. Ford entered a ‘no contest’ plea and last month was fined a total of $7m. 1973Gagnon & Simon Sexual Conduct (1974) x. 291 The no-bra look is serving both males' fantasies and a return to naturalness.
7. With adjectives:
†a. With the force of non- or un-, as no-concluding, inconclusive; no-certain, uncertain. Obs.
1650Cromwell Decl. Ld. Lieut. Irel., To try this no-concluding argument,..but yet well enough agreeing with your learning,—I give you this dilemma. 1658Earl of Monmouth tr. Paruta's Wars Cyprus 15 Being allured by the no-certain promises of Princes. 1751Coventry Hist. Pompey ii. ix. (1785) 66/1 A no-thinking scribbler of magazines.
b. In parasynthetic combs., as no-coated, no-coloured, no-shaped, no-tongued.
1836–7Dickens Sk. Boz, Scenes xvii, He was a brown-whiskered, white-hatted, no-coated cabman. 1875Lanier Symphony 121, I speak for each no-tongued tree. 1887Morris in Mackail Life (1899) II. 179 A queer little no-shaped slip cut off from some workshop. 1895Outing XXVI. 338/1 This discolored, no-colored gown. 1916Joyce Portrait of Artist (1969) i. 50 His nocoloured eyes looking through the glasses.
▪ II. no, adv.1|nəʊ|
[Several forms of different origin are included here. Those placed under α (in sense 1) represent OE. nó, f. ne ne + ó always, var. of á: see a adv. and o adv. The second group (β) contains the southern or midland representatives of OE. ná (see na adv.1); the later examples, however, are somewhat uncertain, and some of them may be misprints for not. In early northern and Scottish texts (γ) no is prob. a scribal alteration of original na or ne; but the later Scottish no (from c 1600) appears to be a reduced form of nōth for nocht nought (cf. dōther for dochter, and mou' for mouth).]
= not.
1. In ordinary uses. Now only Sc.
αc825Vesp. Psalter liii. 5 Ða strongan..no foresettun god biforan ᵹesihðe heara. a900Cynewulf Christ 84 No ᵹebrosnad wearð mæᵹðhad se micla. 971Blickl. Hom. 13 Ne herede heo hine no mid wordum anum. Ibid. 17 Se þe..bideþ þæs ecan leohtes, & no ne ᵹeblinneþ. c1205Lay. 7524 He ne blakede no. Ibid. 31816 Oðer brohte enne; þe oðer no brohte nenne. a1225Leg. Kath. 1963 Oðer, ȝef ha nule no, ha schal beon tohwiðeret.
βc1200Moral Ode 77 (Trin. Coll. MS.), Nis him no þing forholen..Ne bie hit no swo derne idon. a1225Ancr. R. 340 Þauh, no þe later, ‘Betere is þo þene no’. c1250Gen. & Ex. 2236 Us sal ben hard If we no holden him non forward. 13..K. Alis. 6925 No shaltow heorte and flesch hardye. c1330Arth. & Merl. 5829 (Kölbing), For þai no seiȝen no socour. Ibid. 7224 No telle y ȝou nouȝt worþ an hawe. c1350Will. Palerne 1554, Alle men vpon molde no schuld my liif saue. a1450Fysshynge w. Angle (1883) 4 He may not gretly lose but a lyne.., so then hys loste ys no grevous. 1588Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 8 They doe no leaue one foote of grounde vnsowen. 1628Doughty Church Schismes 22 Papistrie thwarts and cuts the very life-strings of a sauing beleefe. Semi-pelagianisme no so. 1661P. Henry Diaries & Lett. (1882) 79 My Father will no cease unlesse my Vncle acknowledge..that hee hath done him wrong. 1682Dryden & Lee Dk. Guise ii. ii, No yet, my Lord of Guise, no yet.
γa1300Cursor M. 7628 Awai þan drou him son daui, Bot saul dred him no for-þi. c1325Metr. Hom. 141 No gif thou of the self na tale. 13..Cursor M. 11781 (Gö tt), Þis child, if he no war god of might, vr goddes alle had standen up right. 1487Barbour's Bruce ix. 471 (Cambr. MS.), That him sair repent sall he..May fall, quehen he no mend it may. a1510Douglas K. Hart ii. 303 Be no wraith with me, my lady deir! 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 272 At this time I no will Onto the Romanis do injure or ill. Ibid. II. 334 For caus that thai no wald Resist the wrang. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. ii. 133 marg., Be the law ȝoung and tendir of ȝeiris ar no permitted to haue the administratione of the Rep[ublic]. 1611Sir W. Mure Misc. Poems Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 49 Cease, serpent, seik no to subdue And kill ane hert. 1629Ibid. 218 To doe who care no, much delight to prat. 1725Ramsay Gentle Sheph. i. ii. 70 He's get his will: why no? Ibid. 131 The laird seeks in his rent: 'Tis no to gie. 1786Burns Mount. Daisy ii, Alas! it's no thy neebor sweet, The bonie Lark. 1799Mitchell Scotticisms 60, I have walked forty miles, and yet am no wearied. 1816Scott Antiq. xliv, I maunna say muckle about them that's no weel and no very able. 1861Ramsay Remin. Ser. ii. 182 Is it the fashion for them no to go on? a1894R. L. Stevenson Weir of Hermiston (1896) viii. 245 Oh, my dear, that'll no dae! 1931A. J. Cronin Hatter's Castle ii. xiii. 435 What was't he said, ‘a loyal wife and a devoted mother,’ wasn't no? 1973People's Jrnl. (Inverness & Northern Counties ed.) 28 July 4/5 Who says the Scots are a dour lot? No' us anyway! 1975M. Russell Murder by Mile iii. 22 What's holding ye up?.. Was the tyre no' checked?
2. Expressing the negative in an alternative choice, possibility, etc. (Usu. whether..or no.)
In earlier ME. non is employed in the same way (see none adv.); this makes it probable that the use originated in sentences (such as quots. c 1440 and 1708) in which no was adjectival.
1413Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) v. i. (1859) 71 To this hows all other ben subget, and servauntes, whether they wylle or noo. c1440Generydes 2588, I will, she sayde, do as ye councell me: Comforte or no. 1535Coverdale Judith ix. 20 Yf no, then go fyre out from Abimelech. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 234 b, He causeth hym to take xiii Duckates, whether he wolde or noe. 1592Greene Upst. Courtier Wks. (Grosart) XI. 247 He..asketh whether he please to be shauen or no. 1664Power Exp. Philos i. 2 By which he tryes and feels all objects, whether they be edible or no. 1708Swift Sacram. Test Wks. 1751 IV. 164 Many of them care not Three-pence whether there be any Church, or no. 1784Unfortunate Sensibility I. 182 Whether or no, this coat shall be my favourite coat. 1813Parr Let. to J. C. Moore 15 Oct., I am uncertain whether or no to notice very shortly some of his previous..exploits. 1853Whewell in Todhunter Acc. Writ. (1876) II. 393 Whether or no there be virtue or vice in other worlds. 1892Mrs. H. Ward David Grieve i. vii, It was a half-baked eloquence... But half-baked or no, David rose to it greedily.
†3. Used in a rejoinder or retort having the form of a negative question. Obs.
1525Ld. Berners Froiss. II. cxix. [cxv.] 342, I wyll nat entre there... No wyll? quod Geronette. a1553Udall Royster D. i. iv, R. This is not she. M. No is? Ibid. ii. iv, C. What was his name? An. We asked not. C. No did? 1581Rich Farew. (1846) 144 The Doctour..aunswered, that he never writte letter unto her... No have? (q, Mistres Doritie) read you then heare your owne lines. 1595Shakes. John iv. ii, Io. I had a mighty cause To wish him dead, but thou hadst none to kill him. H. No had (my Lord?). 1621Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 35 You professe your ignorance thus: Non omnino capimus quid sibi velit. No doe? That is marvell that you do not capere.
▪ III. no, adv.2|nəʊ|
Also α. 1–6 na, 8–9 Sc. nae, north. nea.
[OE. ná, identical with na adv.1 Cf. prec. 1 β.]
With comparatives: Not any, not at all (better, etc.); no better than (one) should (or ought to) be: see better a. 5. See also no less, no more.
αa1000Boeth., Metr. xxv. 29 ᵹif he wyrsa ne bið, ne wene ic his na beteran. c1175Lamb. Hom. 129 Heo weren ipult ut of paradise and ne mehten þer naleng etstonden. c1200Ormin 13163 Þeȝȝ nolldenn nohht tatt boc Flæshliȝ na lenngre follȝhenn. a1300Cursor M. 12366 For leons durst þai cum na nerr. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xviii (Egipciane) 226 Hayre scho had, quhyt & streke, rekand na forthire na hir neke. c1470Gol. & Gaw. 109 Na forthir he faris, bot foundis away. 1508Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 200 He is at Venus werkis na war na he semys. 1580Hay in Catholic Tract. (S.T.S.) 46 In the receaving of it thair is na farder profite. 1786Burns Answ. Tailor's Ep. x, Gelding's nae better than 'tis ca't. 1790Mrs. Wheeler Westmld. Dial. (1821) 12, I'll bide nea langer, sea gang I will.
βa1250Owl & Night. 42 Heo [the owl] ne myhte no leng bileue. 13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 85 At alle peryles..I aproche hit no nerre. c1400Land Troy Bk. 4186 Thei sayde thei myght no betre do. c1440Jacob's Weil 212 Þou owyst to sellyn it hym no derere þan þou mayst haue þerfore in markett. 1461Paston Lett. II. 5 We send no er un to you be cause we had non certynges tyl now. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. vi. 4 b, A small fountaine beeing no higher set then the pavement. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. ix. 21 No lenger time So goodly workemanship should not endure. 1621Burton Anat. Mel. (1652) 151 'Tis horse-play this, and those jests..are no better then injuries. 1697W. Dampier Voy. 467 Being out of hopes to find their Habitations, we searched no farther. 1711Steele Spect. No. 80 ⁋1 They now no longer enjoyed the Ease of Mind..in which they were formerly happy. 1790Burke Fr. Rev. Sel. Wks. II. 35 If they had been able to contrive no better remedy against arbitrary power. 1836Thirlwall Greece II. xi. 59 The two factions had no sooner accomplished the object..than they began to quarrel. 1891L. Falconer Mlle. Ixe vi. 165, I hope that unfortunate fellow is no worse.
†b. None (the fairer, etc.). Obs. rare (except in notheless and nothemo).
a1000Exod. 399 Fyrst ferhðbana no þy fæᵹra wæs. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 236 Hit com no þe later as he hadde iseyd.
▪ IV. no, adv.3 and n.|nəʊ|
Also 3 noa.
[Southern and midland form of na adv.2]
A. adv.
1. A word used to express a negative reply to a question, request, etc., or to introduce a correction of an erroneous opinion or assumption on the part of another person.
On the distinction between no and nay, see nay adv.1
a1225Ancr. R. 222 Noa, he seiðe, [I] ne mei nout makien þeos to suneȝen þuruh ȝiuernesse. a1250Owl & Night. 997 Yet þu ayschest hwi ic ne vare Into oþer londe & singe þare. No; hwat scholde ich among heom do? c1320Cast. Love 1099 No, ac er he dilyuered be, Þou most al so muche delyuere me. c1350Will. Palerne 2701 No, madame, seide hire douȝter, marie þat graunt. 1382Wyclif Zech. iv. 5 Where thou wost not what ben these thingus? And Y saide, No, my lord. 141826 Polit. Poems 63 To kepe his comaundement þey say no. 1535Coverdale John i. 21 Art thou the Prophet? And he answered: No. 1591Shakes. Two Gent. i. iii. 91 My heart accords thereto; And yet a thousand times it answers no. 1646Crashaw Steps to Temple Poems (1858) 78 When heav'n bids come, who can say no? 1695Anc. Const. Eng. 4 No sure, not at all. 1718G. Sewell Procl. Cupid 8 The Fools say, Yes; but wiser Chaucer, No. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xiii, No, cries the Dwarf,..no, I declare off. 1817Parl. Deb. 413 On the question that the bill do pass, being finally put, the cry of ‘No’, from the Opposition side, was very loudly pronounced. 1853Harper's Mag. Feb. 402/1 This is the gentleman who can't say no. 1853T. C. Haliburton Sam Slick's Wise Saws I. v. 119 You first of all force yourself into my cabin, won't take no for an answer, and then complain of oncivility. 1861G. H. Lewes Let. 20 Aug. in Geo. Eliot Lett. (1954) III. 446 She allows herself to be preyed upon dreadfully by the boys—she can't say No. 1879Meredith Egoist vii, He half refuses. I do not take no from him. 1884Tennyson Becket iv. i, Eleanor. Wilt thou love me? Geoffrey. No; I only love mother. 1930W. S. Churchill My Early Life iv. 74 Come on now, all you young men... Don't take no for an answer, never submit to failure. 1961Family Jrnl. Dec. 15/3 ‘But he would not take ‘No’ for an answer,’ she went on. 1961Listener 21 Dec. 1065/2 He was made Minister of Labour in a season when the Government's economic policy meant saying ‘no’ to wage demands. 1974M. Butterworth Man in Sopwith Camel viii. 89 I'm warning you that I'm not taking no for an answer. 1975C. Storr Chinese Egg vii. 41 ‘I can manage. You keep sitting down.’ ‘I shan't say, No. It's a long drag up to St. Monica's.’
ellipt.1857Toulmin Smith Parish 62 The whole number present at the meeting must range themselves, aye and no, on the two opposite sides of the room. 1893Gladstone in Daily News 14 Feb. 4/6 Then I propose the question in Parliamentary form, ‘Aye or no’.
†b. After verbs of thinking or implying. Obs.
1601Bp. W. Barlow Defence 7 We dullard Protestantes thinke no. 1621Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 388 For my part I thinke no, vnlesse he held possessions in the Land of Promise. 1634Canne Necess. Separ. (1849) 243 His words import positively no, but we are sure yes, and so will every wise man..affirm too.
c. Used interrogatively.
c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 1162 ‘Trewely I nil no lettre wryte.’ ‘No? than wol I’, quod he. a1553Udall Royster D. ii. iv, T. Yet can I not yonder craftie boy see nor meete. C. No? 1884Tennyson Becket v. iii, Does he breathe? No? No, Reginald, he is dead.
2. Repeated for the sake of emphasis or earnestness.
a1500Assembly of Ladies 63 The povre pensees were not diloged there; No, no! god wot, her place was every⁓where! a1548Hall Chron., Hen. V 61 b, No, no, I wyll not so accomplishe your cloked request. 1630Dekker 2nd Pt. Honest Wh. i. i, No, no, no, sir, no; I cannot abide to haue money ingender. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 913 Loss of thee Would never from my heart; no no, I feel The Link of Nature draw me. 1721De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 70 No, no, I took care of that. 1791Boswell Johnson an. 1775, I answered, also smiling, ‘No, no, Sir; that will not do’. 1846Dickens Battle of Life i, ‘There is not a truer heart than Alfred's in the world!’ ‘No—no,..perhaps not’.
3. Introducing a more emphatic or comprehensive statement, followed by not, or nor. no, you don't: see do v. 29 b.
1369Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 280, I trowe no man hadde the wit To conne wel my sweven rede; No, not Ioseph. 1509Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) II. 304 No wylde beste: no: nat the mighty bere. 1581Fulke in Confer. ii. (1584) L iiij b, We are not iustified by them, no nor by faith, other⁓wise then instrumentally. 1601Holland Pliny I. 383 There growes nothing in it good to make ointments, no nor nothing throughout all Europe. 1636Heylin Hist. Sabbath 57, I say there was none kept, no nor none commanded. 1721De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 137 The Scots never appeared, no, not so much as their scouts. 1774Burke Sp. Amer. Tax. Sel. Wks. I. 135 He never stirred from his ground; no, not an inch. 1862Tennyson Idylls, Ded. 9 Who spake no slander, no, nor listened to it. 1884― Becket Prol., Thou art but deacon, not yet bishop, No, nor archbishop.
b. Introducing a correction or contradiction.
1616Drummond of Hawthornden Poems, Sonn. xiii, You her words, words, no, but golden chains. 1702De Foe Shortest Way w. Dissenters (1703) 2 Now they cry out Peace, Union, Forbearance, and Charity... No, Gentlemen, the Time of Mercy is past. 1825Spirit Publ. Jrnls. 342 That class of persons was composed of men—no, he could not call them men..—of individuals.
B. n.
†1. without no, beyond denial, certainly. (Cf. nay adv.1 3.) Obs.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 118 (Kölbing), Ac Inglond was yhoten þo Michel Breteyne, wiþ outen no. Ibid. 307 So þai deden, wiþ outen no.
2. An utterance of the word no; an instance of its use; a denial.
1588Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 413 Henceforth my woing minde shall be exprest In russet yeas, and honest kersie noes. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d' Alf. ii. 202 It is hee that can giue you an I, or a No, whether I shall goe or stay. 1685Gracian's Courtier's Orac. 15 The gracefull manner so guilds and sets off a No, as to make it more esteemed than an ill seasoned Yea. 1736Fielding Pasquin i. Wks. 1882 X. 139 Let the audience know they can speak, if it were buy an ay or a no. 1792A. Young Trav. France 129 She determined..to go to church,..and give a solemn no instead of a yea. 1825Spirit Publ. Jrnls. 183 As two noes will make a yes. 1831Carlyle Sart. Res. ii. vii. (heading), The Everlasting No. 1865Ruskin Eth. Dust (1883) 97 Resolutely whispered ‘No's’.
b. A negative vote or decision.
1589Marprel. Epit. P iij, Here then is the puritans I, for the permanencie of this government, and M. doctors no. 1654H. L'Estrange Chas. I (1655) 119 When the same parity of reasoning was urged, Bellarmines No was produced. 1886Gladstone Election Address, With you..it rests to deliver the great Aye or No, on your choice.
3.
†a. The negative side or party. Obs. rare.
1620Jrnl. Ho. Comm. 13 Feb. I. 520 Question whether the I or Noe to go out. The Noe yielded, before the Division of the House.
b. pl. Those who vote on the negative side in a division.
1657Burton's Diary (1828) I. 324 A member stood up and said, that the Noes in the former question had it. 1669Marvell Wks. (Grosart) II. 289 The ayes proved 138 and the noes 129. 1710Acc. Distemper Tom Whigg ii. 50 The No's fronting to the East, the Yea's to the West. 1796Hatsell Prec. Proc. Ho. Comm. (ed. 3) II. 82 note, If this question for adjournment takes place before four o'clock in the afternoon, and there is a division upon it, the Yeas go forth; if after four o'clock, the Noes. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 26 The Ayes were one hundred and eighty-two and the Noes one hundred and eighty-three.
Hence no v., intr. to say no (to one); trans. to answer (one) with no. nonce-uses.
1820Blackw. Mag. VIII. 271 Yes-ing and No-ing to the great man's will. 1835Court Mag. VI. 168/1 It is of the utmost importance..that you should No the world.
▪ V. † no, conj.1 Obs.
[var. of na conj.1]
Nor.
c1205Lay. 17053 Ne recche ich noht..his seoluer no his goldes no his claðes no his hors. a1300Sarmun xi. in E.E.P. (1862) 2 Silk no sendale nis þer none no bise no no meniuer. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 6734 He..to þe pore dyd euyl yn dede No halp hym noȝt yn hys nede. 1338― Chron. (1810) 56 Spare it neuer a dele, Noiþer man no beste, no manere no no toun. c1400Gamelyn 22 Had þei no rest nother nyght no day. c1470Henry Wallace v. 779 That wood..was nothir thik no lang. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 61 Stakkis no stoir into na stait ma stand.
▪ VI. † no, conj.2 Obs. Sc.
[var. of na conj.2]
Than.
1535Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 346 Mekle mair..He said to him no I will tell ȝow heir. Ibid. III. 197 Moir sicker wes in gudlie haist to fle, No to remane. |