First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
not
adverb \ˈnät\
—used to form the negative of modal verbs (such as “should” and “could”) and auxiliary verbs (such as “do” and “have”)
—used with a negative word to make a positive statement
—used humorously at the end of a positive statement to show that you really meant the opposite
Full Definition of NOT
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>
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Origin of NOT
Middle English, alteration of nought, from nought, pron. — more at naught
NOT
noun \ˈnät\
Definition of NOT
: a logical operator that produces a statement that is the inverse of an input statement
Origin of NOT
not
First Known Use: 1947
NOT Defined for Kids
not
adverb \ˈnät\
Definition of NOT for Kids
1
—used to make a word or group of words negative <The books are not here.>
2
—used to stand for the negative of a group of words that comes before <It is sometimes hard to see and sometimes not.>
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