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Definition no

Etymology 1

From Middle English no, noo, na, a reduced form of none, noon, nan (“none, not any”) used before consonants (compare a to an), from Old English n?n (“none, not any”), from ne (“not”) + ?n (“one”), equivalent to ne (“not”) +‎ a. Cognate with Scots nae (“no, not any, none”), Old Frisian n?n, n?n ("no, not any, none"), Saterland Frisian naan, neen (“no, not any, none”), North Frisian nian (“no, not any, none”), Old Dutch n?n ("no, not any, none"; > Dutch neen (“no”)), Old Norse neinn (“no, not any, none”). Compare also Old Saxon nig?n ("not any"; > Low German nen), Old Dutch neh?n (Middle Dutch negheen/negeen, Dutch geen), West Frisian gjin, Old High German nihein (> German kein). More at no, one.

Determiner

no

1. Not any.
2. Hardly any.
3. Not any possibility or allowance of (doing something).
4. Not (a); not properly, not really; not fully.

Etymology 2

From Middle English no, na, from Old English n?, n? (“no, not, not ever, never”), from Proto-Germanic *nai (“never”), *n? (“not”), from Proto-Indo-European *ne, *n?, *n?y (negative particle), equivalent to Old English ne (“not”) + ?, ? (“ever, always”). Cognate with Scots na (“no”), Saterland Frisian noa (“no”), West Frisian né (“no”), West Frisian nea (“never”), Dutch nee (“no”), Low German nee (“no”), German nie (“never”), dialectal German nö (“no”), Swedish nej (“no”), Icelandic nei (“no”). More at nay.

Adverb

no (not comparable)

1. (Except in Scotland, now only used with different, with comparatives more and less, and informally with certain other adjectives such as good and fun) Not, not at all.

Particle

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