nowt - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

A wooden shack in Upton, Berkshire Downs, England, UK, for selling cider. At the time the photograph was taken, the shack was closed and had a sign stating "Nowt left in here" (indicating to potential thieves that nothing of value is left in the shack while it is unattended).

Dialectal pronunciation of naught. Akin to West Frisian neat (“nothing”), German nichts (“nothing”).

nowt

  1. (Northern England) Naught, nothing.
    • 2004, “It Was Supposed to Be So Easy”, in Mike Skinner (lyrics), A Grand Don’t Come For Free, performed by The Streets:
      Today I have achieved absolutely nowt / In just being out of the house, I've lost out

nowt (uncountable)

  1. (Northern England, Sussex, Berkshire) Naught, nothing.

nowt (not comparable)

  1. (Northern England) Naught, nothing.

From Middle English nowte, noute, nawte, naute, borrowed from Old Norse naut, from Proto-Germanic *nautą. Cognate with Old English nēat, English neat.

nowt (plural nowts)

  1. (Scotland and Northern England) An ox.
  2. (Scotland and Northern England) A herd of cattle.
  3. (figurative, Scotland and Northern England) A dumb, crass, or clumsy person, or a person who is difficult or stubborn.
    • 1929, James William Marriott, editor, The Best One-act Plays of 1931‎[1], G.G. Harrap, published 1932, page 162:
      A hunner guineas for the heid o' that nowt Renwick, and him no' sae very far awa' frae your very nose at this meenit.

nowt

  1. Alternative form of nought

nowt

  1. Alternative form of nought

nowt

  1. Alternative form of nought

nowt

  1. Alternative form of nought

From Old English nāwiht.

nowt

  1. (Southern Scots) naught, nothing
    Synonyms: nihin, nithin, nuhin, noot, nowts
    Antonym: owt