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nae

American  
[ney] / neɪ /

adverb

  1. no; not.


adjective

  1. no.

nae British  
/ neɪ, nɑː /

determiner

  1. a Scot word for no 1 not

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nae

First recorded in 1715–25; variant of na

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

This was met with a huge cheer from fans who were anticipating a regional version of the lyric, other earlier tour examples having included "nae chance" in Edinburgh and "jog on lad" in Liverpool.

From BBC Jun. 19, 2024

On the coast of Scotland, howling gusts are the standard because, as the saying goes, “Nae wind, nae rain, nae golf.”

From Washington Post Apr. 8, 2022

“If you go out in the afternoons you’ll nae see a dozen people,” said the club secretary, Norman MacWilliam, who met me in the small, wood Edwardian clubhouse.

From Golf Digest Apr. 14, 2020

“Well, one thing’s for sure,” shouts William, “you’re nae a Jonah.”

From Slate Jul. 24, 2017

For that song to be popular you have to know how to do the whip and the nae nae; new music works at parties only if people know how to dance to it.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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