nænig

Old English

Etymology

From ne +‎ ǣniġ.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnæː.nij/

Pronoun

nǣniġ

  1. no one, none, not any

Declension

Adjective

nǣniġ

  1. not any, none, no
    • 10th century, The Seafarer:
      Stormas þǣr stānclifu bēotan, þǣr him stearn oncwæð īsiġfeþera; ful oft þæt earn biġeal, ūriġfeþra; nǣniġ hlēomǣga fēasċeaftiġ ferð fēran meahte.
      Storms there beat stone-cliffs, where an icy-feathered bird answered 'em; that wet-feathered eagle yelled full oft; no wretched soul of shelter-kinsmen could go forth.

Usage notes

Nǣniġ was common in the Anglian dialects, but almost absent in West Saxon, which used the synonym nān instead.

Descendants

  • Middle English: nany