adv., interj.
Gaw naye
'no'
(Modern English nay)cp. OIcel nei ‘no’ < PGmc *ni-aiw-; cp. OE nā, OFris nā, nō, OS, OHG neo, nio, MLG nē. In Gaw, nay (interj.) is always kept distinct from no < OE nā (adj., adverbial premodifier), as in the AB language.
PGmc Ancestor
*ni-aiw-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
nei 'no'
(ONP nei (2) (interj.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far nei, Icel nei, Norw nei, ODan ney, Dan nej, OSw nē, næy
OE Cognate
nā, 'not, 'no', not at all, never'
Phonological and morphological markers
ON /ei/ < PGmc */ai/
Summary category
A1*
Widespread as an interjection in ME (since Orrm) and MnE dial.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 256, 279, 706, etc.; Cl 729, 743, 758; Erk 265; WA 298, 470, 1016 etc.