𐌽𐌹

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ne, from Proto-Indo-European *ne (“not”).

Particle

𐌽𐌹 • (ni)

1. not
   • Gothic Bible, Corinthians I 13.2:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌾𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿 𐍀𐍂𐌰𐌿𐍆𐌴𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌿 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌶𐌴 𐍂𐌿𐌽𐍉𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐌻𐌻 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌹 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽, 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 𐌼𐌹𐌸𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌿, 𐌹𐌸 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌰𐌸𐍅𐌰 𐌽𐌹 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿, 𐌽𐌹 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 𐌹𐌼.

     jah jabai habau praufētjans jah witjau allaizē runōs jah all kunþi jah habau alla galaubein, swaswē fairgunja miþsatjau, iþ friaþwa ni habau, ni waihts im.

     And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (KJV)

Usage notes

• This word was a general negation particle, and always preceded the word that it negated. Since imperative forms of verbs were generally placed first in the sentence, the particle could not precede it. If the imperative form of a verb was to be negated, the subjunctive was used instead.
• Use before 𐌹𐍃𐍄 (ist, “is”) yielded the contraction 𐌽𐌹𐍃𐍄 (nist).
• May be inserted between a verb and its prefix (similar to clitics such as -𐌿 (-u)), as in 𐌼𐌹𐌸𐌽𐌹𐌵𐌰𐌼 (miþniqam).

Derived terms

• 𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍃𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌽 (naiswaran) (possibly)
• 𐌽𐌹𐌷 (nih)
• 𐌽𐌹 𐌸𐌴 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌹𐍃 (ni þē haldis)

Related terms

• 𐌽𐌴 (nē)
• 𐌽𐌴𐌹 (nei)
• 𐌿𐌽- (un-)