nary

adjective \ ˈner-ē \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of nary

dialect

: not any : not one

I must have it back as I have nary other copy
—Flannery O'Connor

— nary a or nary an

: not a single

survived the accident with nary a scratch

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nary was our Word of the Day on 07/15/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of nary from the Web

Broiled crab cakes measured up solidly — sizable lumps of crabmeat with nary a trace of filling, and a rather subtle, roasted garlic aioli for a finishing flourish.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Festive drinks, fetching views give food a boost at 16 on the Park," 3 May 2018
Neatly trimmed grass with nary a dandelion or clover in sight means there is no place for a bee to land, and fewer places for a bee to eat.

— melissa locker, Southern Living, "How Often Should You Really Be Mowing Your Lawn?," 30 Apr. 2018
But the sedan made it through with nary a punctured tire, and there’s something perversely satisfying about taking an ill-equipped car into the sticks and returning it to an airport garage caked in dirt.

— New York Times, "At Basin and Range National Monument, Landscapes, Art and Aliens," 19 Apr. 2018
Early last year, 5 Seconds of Summer promised their third studio album would be out before the calendar flipped over, only for 2018 to arrive with nary a single.

— chris payne, Billboard, "5 Seconds of Summer Rock New Songs at NYC Club Show: 5 Things to Know," 13 Apr. 2018
But on Tuesday night, more than a year after his inauguration, President Donald Trump will attend his administration's very first state dinner, with nary a ballroom nor a burger in sight.

— NBC News, "Candidate Trump had plenty of state dinner suggestions. President Trump hasn't taken them.," 24 Apr. 2018
But the eggplant sticks, very lightly dusted with corn starch and ground chili pepper and then deep-fried, turned out to have the same irresistible charisma as the best French fries, with nary a thought for ketchup or aioli.

— beth segal, cleveland.com, "Szechuan Gourmet: Hot spot for hot pot and much more in Asiatown (photos)," 20 Apr. 2018
The food waste may be excreted so quickly that nary a single fart can be formed.

— brian resnick, Vox, "Farts: which animals do, which don’t, and why," 3 Apr. 2018
Designed for himself and his family, the box-like home features clean, minimalist interiors inspired by traditional Japanese tatami rooms, with nary a nautical trope in sight.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "This houseboat doesn’t look like a houseboat at all," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Nary, often used in the phrase "nary a" to mean "not a single," is an 18th century alteration of the adjectival phrase "ne'er a," in which "ne'er" is a contraction of "never." That contraction dates to the 13th century, and the word it abbreviates is even older: "never" can be traced back to Old English "nǽ fre," a combination of "ne" ("not" or "no") and "ǽfre" ("ever"). Old English "ne" also combined with "ā" ("always") to give us "nā," the Old English ancestor of our "no." "Ā," from the Latin aevum ("age" or "lifetime") and Greek aiōn ("age"), is related to the English adverb aye, meaning "always, continually, or ever. This "aye" (pronounced to rhyme with "say") is unrelated to the more familiar "aye" (pronounced to rhyme with "sigh") used as a synonym of "yes."

Origin and Etymology of nary

alteration of ne'er a

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1848

in the meaning defined above

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Other Dialect Terms

bespoke, boughten, lave, muchacho, nigh, spunk, thunk, toboggan

NARY Defined for English Language Learners

nary

adjective

Definition of nary for English Language Learners

: not one

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Definition of nary

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Origin and Etymology of nary

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NARY Defined for English Language Learners

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