nahwær

Old English

Alternative forms

• nāhwār, nāhwēr

Etymology

nā (“no”) +‎ hwǣr (“where”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɑːˌxwæːr/, [ˈnɑːˌʍæːr]

Adverb

nāhwǣr

1. nowhere (in no place)

   Iċ sōhte mīnne codd, ac hē næs nāhwǣr tō findenne.

   I looked for my bag, but it was nowhere to be found.

2. never, in no case
   • c. 995, Ælfric, Excerptiones de Arte Grammatica Anglice

     Foresetnessa ne bēoþ nāhwǣr āna, ac bēoþ ǣfre tō sumum ōðrum worde ġefēġeda.

     Prepositions never occur by themselves, but are always joined to some other word.

3. in no respect, not at all
   • c. 900, the Old English Boethius

     Eall mancynn and eall nīetenu ne notiaþ nāhwǣr nēah fēorðan dǣles þisse Eorðan.

     All of mankind and all the animals use nowhere near a quarter of this Earth.

Related terms

• nāhwæder (“to nowhere”)
• nāhwanon (“from nowhere”)
• āhwǣr (“anywhere”)
• āhwæder (“to anywhere”)
• āhwanon (“from anywhere”)

Descendants

• English: nowhere