"mayn't" meaning in English

See mayn't in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /meɪnt/, /ˈmeɪ.ənt/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Persent101-mayn't.wav Forms: mayn't [present, singular, third-person], mightn't [past]
Rhymes: -eɪnt, -eɪənt Etymology: From may + -n't. Etymology templates: {{suffix|en|may|n't}} may + -n't Head templates: {{en-verb|mayn't|-|mightn't|-|past_ptc2=moughtn't|past_ptc2_qual=obsolete}} mayn't (third-person singular simple present mayn't, no present participle, simple past mightn't, no past participle)
  1. (colloquial, now rare, dated) may not (negative auxiliary) Tags: archaic, colloquial, dated, no-past-participle, no-present-participle Coordinate_terms: can't, couldn't, mightn't, oughtn't, shan't, shouldn't, won't, wouldn't Translations (contraction of "may not", might not): kei kore (Maori)
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "may",
        "3": "n't"
      },
      "expansion": "may + -n't",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From may + -n't.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mayn't",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mightn't",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "mayn't",
        "2": "-",
        "3": "mightn't",
        "4": "-",
        "past_ptc2": "moughtn't",
        "past_ptc2_qual": "obsolete"
      },
      "expansion": "mayn't (third-person singular simple present mayn't, no present participle, simple past mightn't, no past participle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "may‧n't"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -n't",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Maori translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "can't"
        },
        {
          "word": "couldn't"
        },
        {
          "word": "mightn't"
        },
        {
          "word": "oughtn't"
        },
        {
          "word": "shan't"
        },
        {
          "word": "shouldn't"
        },
        {
          "word": "won't"
        },
        {
          "word": "wouldn't"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 40.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:",
          "text": "I mayn't have much head, master, but I’ve head enough to remember those that use me ill.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1861, George Eliot, chapter 17, in Silas Marner:",
          "text": "\"Now, father,\" said Nancy, \"is there any call for you to go home to tea? Mayn't you just as well stay with us?--such a beautiful evening as it's likely to be.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “The Mock Turtle’s Story”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 142:",
          "text": "\"Yes, we went to school in the sea, though you mayn't believe it—\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914, Saki, The Romancers:",
          "text": "You mayn't hardly believe it, but at the present moment I am absolutely without a farthing.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1930, H. P. Lovecraft, Madusa's Coil:",
          "text": "I can't help about other people. But I surely would like to have a spot to stop till daylight. Still - if people don't relish this place, mayn't it be because it's getting so run-down?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "may not (negative auxiliary)"
      ],
      "id": "en-mayn't-en-verb-p9EOsDzp",
      "links": [
        [
          "may",
          "may"
        ],
        [
          "not",
          "not"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial, now rare, dated) may not (negative auxiliary)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "colloquial",
        "dated",
        "no-past-participle",
        "no-present-participle"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "contraction of \"may not\", might not",
          "word": "kei kore"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/meɪnt/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmeɪ.ənt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Persent101-mayn't.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪnt"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪənt"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mayn't"
}
{
  "coordinate_terms": [
    {
      "word": "can't"
    },
    {
      "word": "couldn't"
    },
    {
      "word": "mightn't"
    },
    {
      "word": "oughtn't"
    },
    {
      "word": "shan't"
    },
    {
      "word": "shouldn't"
    },
    {
      "word": "won't"
    },
    {
      "word": "wouldn't"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "may",
        "3": "n't"
      },
      "expansion": "may + -n't",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From may + -n't.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mayn't",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mightn't",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "mayn't",
        "2": "-",
        "3": "mightn't",
        "4": "-",
        "past_ptc2": "moughtn't",
        "past_ptc2_qual": "obsolete"
      },
      "expansion": "mayn't (third-person singular simple present mayn't, no present participle, simple past mightn't, no past participle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "may‧n't"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English auxiliary verb forms",
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English contractions",
        "English dated terms",
        "English defective verbs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English terms suffixed with -n't",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with rare senses",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Rhymes:English/eɪnt",
        "Rhymes:English/eɪnt/1 syllable",
        "Rhymes:English/eɪənt",
        "Rhymes:English/eɪənt/2 syllables",
        "Terms with Maori translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 40.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:",
          "text": "I mayn't have much head, master, but I’ve head enough to remember those that use me ill.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1861, George Eliot, chapter 17, in Silas Marner:",
          "text": "\"Now, father,\" said Nancy, \"is there any call for you to go home to tea? Mayn't you just as well stay with us?--such a beautiful evening as it's likely to be.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “The Mock Turtle’s Story”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 142:",
          "text": "\"Yes, we went to school in the sea, though you mayn't believe it—\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914, Saki, The Romancers:",
          "text": "You mayn't hardly believe it, but at the present moment I am absolutely without a farthing.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1930, H. P. Lovecraft, Madusa's Coil:",
          "text": "I can't help about other people. But I surely would like to have a spot to stop till daylight. Still - if people don't relish this place, mayn't it be because it's getting so run-down?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "may not (negative auxiliary)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "may",
          "may"
        ],
        [
          "not",
          "not"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial, now rare, dated) may not (negative auxiliary)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "colloquial",
        "dated",
        "no-past-participle",
        "no-present-participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/meɪnt/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmeɪ.ənt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Persent101-mayn't.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Persent101-mayn%26%2339%3Bt.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪnt"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪənt"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "contraction of \"may not\", might not",
      "word": "kei kore"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mayn't"
}

Download raw JSONL data for mayn't meaning in English (3.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.