What does "ne" mean?
Ne: Not; never. [Obs.] He never yet no villany ne said. Chaucer. Note: Ne was formerly used as the universal adverb of negation, and survives in certain compounds, as never (= ne ever) and none (= ne one). Other combinations, now obsolete, will be found in the Vocabulary, as nad, nam, nil. See Negative, 2.
Additional senses
- 2.Nor. [Obs.] Shak. No niggard ne no fool. Chaucer. Ne . . . ne, neither . . . nor. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00