Etymograph

English

ne

Ne comes from Middle English ne ‘not’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *né.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*né‘not’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ne‘not’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ne‘not’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘not’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1484same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*né‘not’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ne‘not’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ne‘not’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘not’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1484same form

Earliest quotation: 1484, Original Letters, King Edward the Fifth: “That than I shall not geve therunto faith ne…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *né ‘not’

negative, negotiate, necessity, renegade, negotiator, negate, renege, 14 more

through Proto-Germanic *ne ‘not’

no

through Old English ne ‘not’

na, nee

Another origin of ne

  1. Māorimodernnē
  2. Englishtodayne

Today it means

adv Not.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *né / ne

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