*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nor

Contraction of Middle English nauther, from nother. Cognate with neither. By surface analysis, not + or.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
conj

And... not (introducing a negative statement, without necessarily following one). · A function word introducing each except the first term of a series, indicating none of them is true. · Neither. · Used to introduce a further negative statement.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Contraction of Middle English nauther, from nother. Cognate with neither. By surface analysis, not + or.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nauther"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English nauther"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "+com",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "not",
        "4": "or"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, not + or"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nauther",
      "nauther#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nother",
      "nother#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "neither",
      "neither#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "not",
      "not#English"
    ],
    [
      "or",
      "or#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "conj",
      "glosses": [
        "And... not (introducing a negative statement, without necessarily following one).",
        "A function word introducing each except the first term of a series, indicating none of them is true.",
        "Neither.",
        "Used to introduce a further negative statement."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "literary",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "b0d6497dd4d793e4009b9c4a04d464f2824251c3ff1e92fb57cebcf2d960e060",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ee151c542facff62f09caa2b07ff4ad73a41ee8710cec465402872e2494403b7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 183003
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of NOR.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Etymology 1 (sense 2 above), reinterpreted as not + or or negation + or.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "not",
      "not#English"
    ],
    [
      "or",
      "or#English"
    ],
    [
      "negation",
      "negation#English"
    ],
    [
      "or",
      "or#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of NOR."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "5aa2c0fe5834fadfd252d13c02b1f51c28f96ce50669c5a4523d9ed53829b8e3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "febaddeb2432a05067a6185db46128119097720b2f085fdd2de80722e130619f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 183004
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nor →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bm9y