nay-say

See also: naysay

English

Alternative forms

Noun

nay-say (plural nay-says)

  1. (archaic) A refusal, denial, or negation.
    • 1816, Sir Walter Scott, The Black Dwarf, ch. 5,
      "That," replied Miss Lucy, "depends entirely on the manner in which the nay-says are said."

Verb

nay-say (third-person singular simple present nay-says, present participle nay-saying, simple past and past participle nay-said)

  1. To speak negatively of something.
  2. To reply no.

See also

References
  • “naysay” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  • “naysay” in Microsoft's Encarta World English Dictionary, North American Edition (2007)
  • Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)
  • Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)
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