Used to make a verb or statement negative. It shows that something is the opposite of what the positive sentence would say.
From Middle English “nought” or “naht,” meaning “nothing,” which was shortened in phrases like “is nought” to “is not.” Over time, it became the standard negative word used with verbs.
“Not” is so central to English that it fuses with verbs—“do not” becomes “don’t,” “is not” becomes “isn’t.” That tiny word has huge power: add it, and you flip the entire meaning of a sentence.
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