shan't en · VERB
Pronunciation
- /ʃɐːnt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ʃænt/ (US)
- /ʃant/ (Scotland)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ʃɑːnt/ (Midlands, Northern-England, Received-Pronunciation)
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
From shall + -n't; contraction of shalln't or shall not, historically via shannot.
Meanings
-
(Canada, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK, abbreviation, alt-of, archaic, colloquial, contraction, dated, humorous, in Australia, in US) Contraction of shall + not (negative auxiliary).
alt of shall
That's not a threat, sir, for they have played fair with me, and I sha'n't sacrifice a penny of their money—unless they force me to do so. But—I'm in control. I'm sitting pretty. They can't unseat me, and I warn them not to try.
1922, Rex [Ellingwood] Beach, “chapter XXIV”, in Flowing Gold, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, by arrangement with Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 290:I shan't be coming back after the way you've treated me today.
Shall I or shan't I?
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sha'n't | alternative | lexicographic | |
| shalln't | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
mayn't · couldn't · oughtn't · won't · mightn't · wouldn't · can't · shouldn't