none

Not any of a given number or group.

Adverb

  1. To no extent, in no way.
    • I felt none the worse for my recent illness.
    • my lack of education hasn't hurt me none - 1973, Paul Simon, “Kodachrome”:
  2. Not at all, not very.
    • He was none too pleased with the delays in the program that was supposed to be his legacy.
    • We could hear none too well from the back.
  3. No, not.

Origin

From Middle English none, noon, non (“not one”), from Old English nān (“not one, not any, none”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz (“none, nought, nothing”), equivalent to ne (“not”) + one. (Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.) Cognate with Scots nane (“none”), Saterland Frisian naan, neen (“no, not any, none”), West Frisian neen & gjin (“no, none”), Dutch neen & geen (“no, none”), Low German nēn, neen, keen (“no, none, no one”), German nein & kein (“no, none”), Latin nōn (“not”).

Forms

non

Determiner

  1. Not any; no (usually used only before a vowel or h):
    • Thou shalt have none other gods but me.
    • the foles toke their lampes, but toke none oyle with them. - 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew:
    • None lasses were in the dunces' row. If one had been there people would have looked at her and felt sorry but not boys. - 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 138:

Forms

non

Noun alt of, alternative

  1. Alternative form of nones: the ninth hour after dawn; (Christianity) the religious service appointed to this hour.
  2. Synonym of midafternoon: the time around or following noon or nones.
    • None of the day, is the third quarter of the day beginning at Noon and lasting till the Sun be gone half way towards setting. - 1656, T. Blount, Glossographia:
    • The last, which began at the middle of the Afternoon, i.e. at half the Time between Noon and Sun-setting, was called None, because it began at the Ninth Hour. - 1706, L.E. Dupin, “v, 43”, in D. Cotes, transl., A New...

    Synonyms: midafternoon

Origin

From French none, from Latin nōna (“ninth; ninth hour”).

Forms

nones

Related

quantifier

Noun US

  1. A person without religious affiliation.
    • Both the religiously dis-identified ("nones") and the religiously committed report mystical experiences. - 2003, Jacob A. Belzen, Antoon Geels, Mysticism: A Variety of Psychological Perspectives, page 50:
    • Stable nones, that is, people who report in both years that they have no religious affiliation, are, in fact, much less religious - 2010, Robert D. Putnam, David E Campbell, American Grace: How Religion Divides and...
    • we have grouped people into nones (no religion), Jews, Catholics, mainline Protestants, and evangelical protestants. - 2013, Michael Corbett, Politics and Religion in the United States:

Origin

From the first sense, since they respond “none” when asked about their religion; also a play on words on nun.

Forms

nones

Pronoun

  1. Not any of a given number or group.
    • None of those is a good example. None are even acceptable.
    • None of this meat tastes right.
    • There were many but now there are none.

    1. No one, nobody.

      • None of those people is my father.

    2. No person.

      • None of those people are my parents. None shall pass.
      • Alas, none of these people were writing the reviews. - 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, page 253:

Forms

non

Antonyms

some all

Derived

all-or-none bar none Buckley's and none half a loaf is better than none have none of it have none of something it's none of your business noneism noneist none of someone's business none of these words are in the Bible none of your bee's wax none of your bees' wax none of your beeswax none other than none-so-pretty nonesuch none taken none the less none the wiser none the worse none too soon none to the worse religious none