gearwe ne wisson (_ye
certainly
have not known_, etc.
Beowulf
nǣnigne ... hord-māððum, 1199.
nǣre, from ne-wǣre (_were not, would not be_). See wesan.
ne, simple neg., _not_, 38, 50, 80, 83, 109, etc.; before imper. ne sorga!
1385; ne gȳm! 1761, etc. Doubled =_certainly not, not even that_: nē gē
...
gearwe ne wisson (_ye
certainly
have not known_, etc.
), 245; so, 863;
ne ic ... wihte ne wēne (_nor do I at all in the least expect_), 2923; so,
182. Strengthened by other neg.: nōðer ... ne, 2125; swā hē ne mihte nō ...
(_so that he absolutely could not_), 1509.
