nary

See also: n-ary

English

Alternative forms

• narry

Etymology

Univerbation of ne'er +‎ a.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnɛə.ɹi/
• (US, without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈnɛɚ.i/
• (US, Canada, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈnɛɹ.i/

  • Audio (US, Mary–marry–merry merger):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈneː.ɹi/
• (New Zealand, without the cheer–chair merger) IPA^(key): /ˈneəɹi/
• (New Zealand, cheer–chair merger) IPA^(key): /ˈniəɹi/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈneɹɪ/, /ˈneɹe/
• (Lancashire, fair–fur merger) IPA^(key): /ˈnɜːɹɪ/
• Rhymes: -ɛəɹi

Adverb

nary (not comparable)

1. (somewhat dated) Not, never.
   • 1923, Photoplay: The Aristocrat of Motion Picture Magazines:

     And all about the room, candles gleaming in branched sconces. Nary one glare of electric light.

   • 2014, Richard Swenson, More Than Meets the Eye: Fascinating Glimpses of God's Power and Design, Tyndale House, →ISBN:

     Every day, uncomplaining, this ten-ounce muscle contracts 100 thousand times nary “missing a beat.” Over a lifetime of faithful service, these two self-lubricating, self-regulating, high-capacity pumps beat two and one-half billion times […]

   • 2014, Lori Gertz, When Mama Can't Kiss it Better, A journey of love, loss and acceptance‎:

     Then, it took her nary ten minutes to diagnose me with adrenal fatigue

   • 2018, Antero Pietila, The Ghosts of Johns Hopkins: The Life and Legacy that Shaped an American City‎:

     Nary three weeks before, on December 12, Officer Cherylann Young steered a marked Miami-Dade County police cruiser toward the perimeter of MIA, the international airport.

   • 2019 December 10, Yacht Club Games, "Story" (Mr. Hat), in Shovel Knight Showdown (version 4.1), Nintendo Switch:

     Mr. Hat: 'GOLDARMOR, THERE YOU ARE! I WAS THINKING... I'VE FOUGHT SCADS OF FOES, YET NARY A HAT IS WITHIN A GRASP!'

Adjective

nary (not comparable)

1. (somewhat dated) Not any.
   • 1910, John McElroy, Si Klegg: Experiences of Si and Shorty on the Great Tullahoma Campaign, page 109:

     We'uns wuz willin't fout fur ole Tennessee, but for nary other State. When he started out o' Tennessee we'uns jest concluded t' strike out and leave him.

   • 1961 March 20, Flannery O'Connor, letter to Maryat Lee, published in 1988, The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (→ISBN):

     I'm cheered you liked [“The Partridge Festival”] but I must have it back as I have nary other copy. If you really want to read somebody, read Proust for pity's sake.

   • 1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 286:

     Together standing on the step outside the apartment house. Where nary a moth will ever come to smash its little dust on a Bonniface window pane.

   • 2010, Dorothy McCleary, Not for Heaven, Wildside Press LLC, →ISBN, page 289:

     "Pish, and who cares for nary other?" Mrs. Bostwick cried out, tossing Etta's hand away from her. "I do, for one," said Etta tartly.

Translations

Translations

French: aucun (fr) German: kein (de) Italian: nessuno (it) Polish: ani (pl) Russian: ни единого (ni jedinovo), ни одного (ni odnovo), ни капли (ni kapli), нисколько (ru) (niskolʹko) Spanish: ninguno (es)

References

• “nary”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Arny, N-ray, NYRA, Ryan, yarn

Lithuanian

Noun

narỹ

1. vocative singular of narỹs (“joint”)