won't
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From earlier wonnot, from Middle English wynnot, wilnot, wolnot, wilnat, a contraction of Middle English will not, wil not, wyll not, will noght, wil noht, willi noȝt, wyl nat, wol not, woll not, wole not, wolle not, wol nat, woll nat, etc., equivalent to a will + not and/or woll + not.[1] For the pronunciation with /oʊ/, /əʊ/, see poultry.[2]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /wəʊnt/
- (General American) enPR: wōnt, IPA(key): /woʊnt/, [wõt(ˀ)], [wõʔ]
Audio (US): (file) Audio (General Australian): (file) - Homophone: wont (one pronunciation)
- Rhymes: -əʊnt
Verb
won't
- will not (negative auxiliary[3]); used to indicate a future non-occurring action.
- Sam won't be doing any work this afternoon.
Synonyms
Coordinate terms
Translations
contraction of “will not”
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See also
References
- ^ http://www.dictionary.com/browse/won-t
- ^ Dobson, E. J. (1957) English pronunciation 1500-1700[1], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 425, page 990.
- ^ Arnold M. Zwicky and Geoffrey K. Pullum, Cliticization vs. Inflection: English n’t, Language 59 (3), 1983, pp. 502-513
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English terms with homophones
- Rhymes:English/əʊnt
- Rhymes:English/əʊnt/1 syllable
- English non-lemma forms
- English verb forms
- English auxiliary verb forms
- English contractions
- English defective verbs
- English terms suffixed with -n't