næfre ma

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnæːf.re mɑː/, [ˈnæːv.re mɑː]

Adverb

nǣfre mā

1. never again
   • Solomon and Saturn II

     Ne ondrǣd þū þē dēaþ tō swīðe. Þēah hē þē full gōd ne þynċe, hē biþ ealles yfeles ende, and ne cymþ hē nǣfre mā.

     Don't be too afraid of death. Even if it doesn't seem very good, it is the end of all evil, and it will never come again.

   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     And hīe þā grēton and him cȳðdon þæt hīe nǣfre mā hīe sēċan wolden.

     And then they said goodbye and informed them that they would never visit them again.

   • The Passion of Saint Margaret

     Iċ þē ġehāte þæt iċ nǣfre mā nānne mann on þissum līfe ne beswīċe.

     I promise you I'll never deceive anyone ever again.

   • c. 897, Alfred the Great, translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care

     Sē wrītere, ġif hē ne dilegaþ þæt hē ǣr wrāt, þēah hē nǣfre mā nāwiht ne wrīte, þæt biþ þēah unġedilegod þæt hē ǣr wrāt.

     If a writer doesn't erase what he wrote before, it remains unerased, even if he never writes anything again.

Synonyms

• nǣfre eft

Descendants

• English: nevermore