Wiktionary

not

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

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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not (not comparable)

  1. Negates the meaning of the modified verb.
    Did you take out the trash? No, I did not.
    Not knowing any better, I went ahead.
  2. To no degree.
    • 1984 December 22, John Stout, “Home for the Holidays: Survival Strategies for Gays”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 23, page 5:
      Expectation: Everybody in the family has to love everybody else.
      Reaction: Not the ghost of Christmas past, present, or future could pull this one off unless feeling is already there.
    That is not red; it's green.
    It's not you, it's me.
  3. (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.
  4. Used before a determiner phrase, a pronominal phrase etc. to convey a negative attitude (e.g. denial, sadness, anger) towards something.
    Oh god, not that! Anything but that!
    Not another rainy day!
    Won't you come with me?" "Certainly not."
  5. (ironic, informal, originally African-American Vernacular) Used before a non-finite clause (especially a gerund-participial clause) or less commonly a determiner phrase to ironically convey some attitude (e.g. surprise, incredulity, amusement, embarrassment) towards something. [attested since the late 2000s, popularized around 2020][1][2]
    Not me writing example sentences again. ― Oh my, there I go writing example sentences again!
    • 2023 July 8, @brielarson [Brie Larson], Twitter‎[1]:
      Not me crying by the end of that!! You are a brilliant, beautiful human who deserves no less than the world. Thank you for taking the time to watch unicorn store. It’s a film that means so much to me.
    • 2023 December 9, “Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson: A Complete Relationship Timeline”, in Glamour‎[2]:
      [Keke] Palmer tells Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager to “mind y'all's business” when they ask about her relationship with [Darius] Jackson. ¶ “Not y’all trying to get into it! They trying it on the Today show,” Palmer joked when the subject was first brought up on Today With Hoda & Jenna.

Usage notes

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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

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negates meaning of verb

Translations

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Conjunction

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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

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  • 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

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Interjection

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not!

  2. (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, 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, published 1974, page 134:
      "See?" "Uh-huh! Clear and lucid to the point of limpidity - 'not."
    • 2006 May 2, Steve Goldfarb, “Spilling out drops of wine at the Seder”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated‎[3] (Usenet):
      Because, of course, sympathy is finite -- and if you use it up on the wrong person then you won't have any left. Not.

Synonyms

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Translations

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Translations

See also

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Noun

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not (plural nots)

  1. An instance of using the word “not”; a negation or denial.
    • 1922 March 4, “Fed on Fear Too Much”, in The Pathfinder, volume 29, number 1470, Washington, D.C.: Pathfinder Publishing Company, page 33:
      The children are taught to be afraid of winter, of war, of death, of hard times, of disease, of examtinations. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that children so seldom find the conversation of their elders uplifting. It is full of don’ts, buts and nots.
  2. Alternative letter-case form of NOT (“unary operation on logical values that changes true to false, and false to true”).

Usage notes

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

Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Colin Morris (2021 April 11) “Not them having a whole zoo—the rise of ironic "not"”, in colin_morris
  2. ^ Guilherme M. C. Pereira (2023 December 19) “Not me getting with the times: A new kind of not-fragment in English”, in Yale Working Papers in Grammatical Diversity, volume 5, number 1, Yale University Department of Linguistics

Further reading

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  • “not”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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Albanian

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Etymology

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From notoj.

Noun

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not m

  1. swim
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Ambonese Malay

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Etymology

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Probably borrowed from Dutch uitnodiging.

Verb

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not

  1. to invite

Noun

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not

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

References

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  • D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998) Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia‎[4], Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa

Aromanian

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Etymology 1

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From Greek νότος (nótos).

Alternative forms

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Noun

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not m

  1. dry wind from the south
Synonyms
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See also

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Etymology 2

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Verb

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not first-singular present indicative

  1. Alternative form of anot to swim

Etymology 3

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

Noun

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not m

  1. swim, swimming
Synonyms
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Danish

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Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology 1

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From German Nut.

Noun

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not c (singular definite noten, plural indefinite noter)

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

Etymology 2

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Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

From Norwegian not.

Noun

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

  1. (fishing) seine net
    Synonym: snurpenot
Inflection
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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
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Etymology 3

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

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not

  1. imperative of note

German

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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not

  1. Only used in nottun

Icelandic

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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not n pl (plurale tantum)

  1. use

Declension

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

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Indonesian

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Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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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

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Further reading

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Luxembourgish

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Adjective

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not

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

Middle English

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Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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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
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  • English: not
  • Geordie English: nut
  • Scots: nat (obsolete)
  • Yola: nat
References
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Noun

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not (uncountable)

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

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

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Contraction

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not

  1. Contraction of ne woot; not to know.
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Descendants
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References
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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Alternative forms

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  • nót (alternative spelling of etymology 1 and 2)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn
 
ei ringnot

From Old Norse nót, from Proto-Germanic *nōtō (“net; seine”).

Noun

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not f (definite singular nota, indefinite plural nøter, definite plural nøtene)

  1. (chiefly fishing) a net, seine
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Middle Low German.

Noun

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

  1. (carpentry, mechanics) a groove (as used in a tongue and groove joint)
    Coordinate term: fjør
Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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From Old Norse hnot.

Noun

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

  1. (pre-2012) alternative form of nøtt (“nut”)

References

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Anagrams

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Old English

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Alternative forms

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  • nōt

Etymology

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From Latin nota.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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not m (nominative plural notas)

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

Declension

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

Descendants

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Old Swedish

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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nōt f

  1. net, seine

Declension

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Declension of not (strong ō-stem)
masculine singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative nōt nōtin nōtar nōtarnar, nōtanar
accusative nōt nōtina nōtar nōtarnar, nōtanar
dative nōt, nōto nōtinni, nōtinne nōtum, nōtom nōtumin, nōtomen
genitive nōtar nōtarinnar nōta nōtanna

Descendants

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Romansch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Noun

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not f (plural nots)

  1. (Puter, Vallader) night

Scottish Gaelic

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English note. The "money" sense comes from the now-rare £1 note.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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not m (genitive singular not, plural notaichean)

  1. (music) note
  2. (money) pound (sterling)

References

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  1. ^ Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap

Swedish

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Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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not c

  1. (music) note.
  2. a short message; note.
  3. (diplomacy) a formal message from a country to another country’s embassy.
Declension
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Declension of not
nominative genitive
singular indefinite not nots
definite noten notens
plural indefinite noter noters
definite noterna noternas
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Related to nät (“net”).

Noun

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not c

  1. seine
Declension
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Declension of not
nominative genitive
singular indefinite not nots
definite noten notens
plural indefinite notar notars
definite notarna notarnas

Anagrams

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Tok Pisin

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Etymology

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From English North.

Noun

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not

  1. North

Turkish

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Etymology

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From French note.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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not (definite accusative notu, plural notlar)

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

Declension

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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

Welsh

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from English knot.

Noun

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not m (plural notiau, not mutable)

  1. (aviation, nautical) knot

Etymology 2

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Noun

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not

  1. Nasal mutation of dot.

Mutation

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Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
dot ddot not unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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