ne'er en · ADV
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /nɛəɹ/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
- /ˈnɛʔɚ/ (General-American)
- /ˈnɛʔə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /nɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Contraction of never.
Meanings
-
(abbreviation, alt-of, contraction, dialectal, not-comparable, poetic, qualifier:or fossilized; otherwise archaic; or fossilized; otherwise archaic) Contraction of never.
alt of never
The foe had better ne’er been born that gets in “Stonewall’s Way.”
1862, John Williamson Palmer, Stonewall Jackson's Way"What should we do for the propine - We used to offer something fine, But ne'er a groat's in pouch of mine"
1877, Walter Scott, The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott With a Memoir · Volume 6, page 322:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ne're | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
ne'er a · ne'er cast a clout till May be out
Relateds
nary · e’er · ne’er-do-well · ne'ery · whene’er