Main Entry:

not

Pronunciation:

\ˈnät\

Function:

adverb

Etymology:

Middle English, alteration of nought, from nought, pron. — more at naught

Date:

13th century

1 —used as a function word to make negative a group of words or a word 2 —used as a function word to stand for the negative of a preceding group of words <is sometimes hard to see and sometimes not>