• NEG
n. 1854 Eng. dial. – a baby’s tooth
• NEGAHOLIC
n. 1980s US sl. – a pessimist
• NEGANT
n. c1560 obs. rare – one who denies; a negative proposition
• NEGATIONAL
adj. 1865 – negative; using negation
• NEGATIVE
adj. c1400 obs. rare – making denial of something
int. 1940s – no!
n. 1. c1380 obs. – a negative command; a prohibition
n. 2. 1632 obs. rare – the capacity of refusal
vb. 1. 1790 – to disprove; to show to be false
vb. 2. 1812 – to deny, to contradict
vb. 3. 1837 – to render ineffective, to neutralize
• NEGATIVE NANCY
n. 2000s US college sl. – a female pessimist
• NEGATIVE PERSPIRATION!
int. 1970s US sl. – no problem
• NEGATORY
adj. 1580 – expressing denial or refusal; denying; negative
• NEGE
vb. 1624 obs. rare – to deny; to contradict
• NEGER
n. 1587 Sc. & N. Eng. dial. – a Black person
• NEGEROUS
adj. 1609 obs. – barbarous, uncivilized
• NEGERY
n. 1814 Sc. & N. Eng. dial. – a Black village or compound
• NEGGER
n. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – a donkey
• NEGGLE
vb. M16 sl. – to have sexual intercourse
• NEGGLEDIGEE
n. 1823 sl. – ‘a woman’s undressed gown’; a nightgown
• NEGGY
n. 1854 Eng. dial. – a baby’s tooth
• NEGLECT
adj. 1. 1530 obs. – neglected
adj. 2. 1603 rare – negligent
n. 1. 1597 obs. – indifference
n. 2. 1638 rare – an omission or oversight
vb. 1603 obs. rare – to leave out, to omit, to discard
• NEGLECTINGLY
adv. 1596 obs. – negligently, neglectfully
• NEGLECTION
n. 1591 obs. – negligence, neglect
• NEGLECTIVE
adj. 1611 rare or obs. – neglectful, inattentive, careless
• NEGLECTIVENESS
n. 1621 obs.- negligence, neglect
• NEGLECTLY
adv. 1594 obs. rare – negligently
• NEGLIGEABLE
adj. 1882 – negligible
• NEGLIGEE
n. 1841 – a necklace formed of irregular beads
• NEGLIGENCY
n. 1800 rare – negligence
• NEGLIGENT
adj. c1440 rare – heedless, careless, indifferent
n. 1616 – a negligent person
• NEGOCE
n. 1697 obs. rare – conversation; commerce, business affairs
• NEGOCY
n. 1603 obs. rare – business affairs
• NEGOTIABLE GRASS
n. 1951 US sl. – money
• NEGOTIAL
adj. c1530 obs. rare – relating to facts without consideration of persons
• NEGOTIANT
n. 1. 1611 – one who negotiates or carries on negotiations; an agent, a representative
n. 2. 1768 obs. – a merchant or trader
• NEGOTIATE
vb. 1601 obs. – to do business or trade; to traffic
• NEGOTIATED
adj. 1604 obs. – engaged, busy
• NEGOTIATION
n. 1. c1580 obs. – a matter of private occupation or business; a business transaction
n. 2. 1601 obs. – trading, traffic
• NEGOTIATOR
n. 1598 obs. – a trader, a business man
• NEGOTIATORY
adj. 1727 rare – pert. to negotiation
• NEGOTIATRESS
n. 1827 – a female negotiator
• NEGOTIATRIX
n. 1624 – a female negotiator
• NEGOTIOSITY
n. 1678 obs. rare – constant occupation in affairs; busyness, want of leisure
• NEGOTIOUS
adj. 1. 1603 obs. rare – involving, or given to, occupation or business
adj. 2. 1642 obs. rare – fully or constantly occupied or busy
• NEGOTIOUSNESS
n. 1642 obs. rare – busyness; want of leisure; diligence, industriousness
• NEGRE
adj. a1400 obs. rare – black
• NEGRILLO
n. 1853 – a little Black person
• NEGRINE
adj. 1857 rare – resembling a Black person
n. 1703 obs. rare – a Black woman
• NEGRISH
adj. 1735 obs. rare – used by Black people
NEGRO USAGE NOTE: (from Oxford English Dictionary)
The word Negro was adopted from Spanish and Portuguese and first recorded from the mid 16th century. It remained the standard term throughout the 17th–19th centuries and was used by prominent Black American campaigners such as W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington in the early 20th century. Since the Black Power movement of the 1960s, however, when the term black was favoured as the term to express racial pride, Negro (together with related words such as Negress) has dropped out of favour and now seems out of date or even offensive in both British and US English.
• NEGROCIDE
n. 1852 – the killing of a Black person
• NEGRODOM
n. 1862 – the region or community of Black persons
• NEGRO DRUNK
adj. E19 US sl., derogatory – heavily intoxicated with alcohol
• NEGROFY
vb. 1799 – to make into, or as black, as a Black person
• NEGRO-HEAD
n. 1. 1796 nautical sl., now derogatory – a brown loaf
n. 2. E19 Brit. sl., now derogatory – a plug of black tobacco
• NEGROHOOD
n. 1863 – the Black race or stock
• NEGROITE
n. 1851 – a friend of the Black people; one who favours the advancement of Black interests or rights
• NEGROLAND
n. 1764 – the land or region inhabited by Black people
• NEGROLATRY
n. 1862 – excessive admiration of Black people
• NEGROLET
n. 1873 – a little Black person
• NEGROLING
n. 1886 – a little Black person
• NEGROLOID
adj. 1842 rare – negroid; resembling the Black people or having some of their characteristic features
• NEGROMANIA
n. 1851 – extravagant fondness for the Black people
• NEGROMANIAC
n. 1864 – one having an extravagant liking of Black people
• NEGRO-NEWS
n. 19C US colloq., now derogatory – the Black grapevine, a rapid way of spreading news among Blacks
• NEGRO-NOS’D
adj. c1696 sl., now derogatory – pert. to a person with a broad or a flat nose
• NEGROPHIL
n. 1889 – a friend of the Black people; one who favours the advancement of Black interests or rights
• NEGROPHILE
n. 1803 – a friend of the Black people; one who favours the advancement of Black interests or rights
• NEGROPHILISM
n. 1865 – fondness for the Black people; zealous advocacy of Black rights
• NEGROPHILIST
n. 1842 – a lover or friend of the Black people
• NEGROPHOBIA
n. 1833 – intense dislike of the Black people
• NEGROPHOBIAC
n. 1867 – one having an intense dislike of Black people
• NEGROPHOBIST
n. 1878 – one having an intense dislike of Black people
• NEGROTIC
adj. 1876 rare – pert. to Black people
• NEGRO TOE
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – the Brazil nut
• NEGRO WOOL
n. 1966 Amer. dial. – soft rolls of dust that collect on the floor under beds or other furniture
• NEIF
n. 1. 1547 now Hist. – one born in a state of bondage or serfdom; sometimes, a female serf, a bondwoman
n. 2. 1742 Sc. – difficulty; need
• NEIGHBOR
vb. 1828 Amer. dial. – to associate in a friendly way, esp. by exchanging visits and assistance; to live on friendly terms with
• NEIGHBORHOOD
n. 1. 1939 Amer. dial. – a town
n. 2. 1966 Amer. dial. – the navel
• NEIGHBORHOOD ROAD
n. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – a by-way, distinguished from a public road
• NEIGHBOR JONES
n. 1941 Amer. dial. – an outhouse or toilet
• NEIGHBOUR
n. 1. 1790 Sc. & Eng. dial. – a companion, a comrade; a good friend
n. 2. 1871 Sc. – a partner; a fellow-servant; a bedfellow
n. 3. 1887 Sc. & Eng. dial. – a match, an equal; the corresponding one of a pair
n. 4. Bk1905 Sc. – a husband or wife
vb. 1. 1859 Sc. & Eng. dial. – to associate with; to be on intimate terms; to visit; to go about gossiping
vb. 2. 1872 Sc. – to work together, to cooperate; to act as partners
• NEIGHBOURER
n. 1611 rare – one who neighbours, a neighbour
• NEIGHBOURESS
n. 1388 rare – a female neighbour
• NEIGHBOURHEAD
n. c1425 rare – friendly relations between neighbours
• NEIGHBOURHOOD
n. c1449 – friendly relations between neighbours
• NEIGHBOUR ILL
vb. 1820 Sc. – to disagree, not to suit
• NEIGHBOURING-DAY
n. 1900 Eng. dial. – a visiting day, ‘at home’ day
• NEIGHBOURIZE
vb. 1899 obs. – to act in a neighbourly fashion; to associate with others as neighbours
• NEIGHBOUR-ROW
n. 1785 Eng. dial. – a company, a social circle; a neighbouring row of houses; a neighbourhood
• NEIGHBOUR’S FARE
n. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – the same fate or luck
• NEIGHER
n. 1830 Sc. – a loud laugh
vb. 1826 Sc. – to laugh loudly
• NEIPERTY
n. 1. Bk1905 Sc. – companionship
n. 2. Bk1905 Sc. – partnership
n. 3. Bk1905 Sc. – ‘the embrace of the sexes in the act of generation’
• NEIST
adj. 1783 Sc. & Eng. dial. – nearest, nighest, next
adv. 1787 Sc. – next
• NEISTER
vb. 1. 1892 Sc. – to creak
vb. 2. Bk1905 Sc. – to throw off sparks; to crackle
• NEISTMOST
adj. Bk1905 Sc. – next
• NEITHER BACK NOR EDGE
phr. 1878 Eng. dial. – nothing
• NEITHER DISH NOR DIBLET
phr. 1706 Sc. – no table crockery whatever
• NEITHER EECHIE NOR OCHIE
phr. 1768 Sc. – neither one thing nor another, nothing
• NEITHER FISH, FLESH, FOWL, NOR GOOD RED-HERRING
phr. Bk1903 – neither one thing nor another
• NEITHER HEAD NOR FOOT
phr. 1566 obs. – neither beginning or end; neither one thing nor another; nothing distinct or definite
• NEITHER HEAD NOR TAIL
adj. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – mediocre
• NEITHER HIDE NOR HAIR (OF SOMEONE)
phr. 19C – nothing whatever (of someone)
• NEITHER HILT NOR HAIR
phr. 1844 Eng. dial. – absolutely nothing
• NEITHER MAKE NOR SHAPE
adj. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – out of proportion, ill-designed or fashioned
• NEITHER MASS NOR MATINS
phr. 1528 obs. – nothing of very serious import
• NEITHER NIGH NOR BY
phr. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – nowhere near
• NEITHER OF BOTH
pron. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – neither one
• NEITHER ONE’S EYE NOR ONE’S ELBOW
phr. 1895 Eng. dial. – neither one thing nor another
• NEITHER PILLOW NOR BOLSTER
phr. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – not in on the secret
• NEITHER TIP NOR TOE
phr. 1610 obs. – not a particle or trace; none at all
• NEITHER TO DANCE NOR HOLD THE CANDLE
phr. 1839 Sc. – not to participate in any amusement
• NEITHER TO REEVE NOR HARVE
phr. Bk1904 Eng. dial. – of a stubborn woman: neither to go one way nor the other
• NEIVE
n. 1. 1641 Sc. & Eng. dial. – the fist, the closed hand; the hand
n. 2. 1791 Sc. – fisticuffs, boxing, sparring
n. 3. 1899 Sc. – a handful
vb. 1. 1824 Sc. – to catch with the hands, to pinch, to grip
vb. 2. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – to handle, to manipulate; to work with the fists or fingers
vb. 3. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – to hit with the fists; to chastise
• NEIVEFUL
n. 1874 Sc. – a handful; a small quantity
• NEIVE-SHAKING
n. 1. 1820 Sc. – a quarrel among women, a scolding-match
n. 2. 1894 Eng. dial. – the shaking of the fist, threatening
n. 3. Bk1905 Sc. – a windfall; something dropped from the hand of another
• NEKARD
n. a1400 obs. rare – an insignificant person
• NEKED
n. a1300 obs. rare – a little, a small amount
• NEKER
n. a1400 obs. rare – an insignificant person
• NELL
vb. Bk1905 Sc. – to talk loudly or loquaciously
• NELL AND TALK
vb. Bk1905 Sc. – to talk loudly or loquaciously
• NELLIE
adj. 1963 US sl. – extremely, even outrageously, effeminate
n. 1. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nellie Bligh) – a fly
n. 2. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nellie Bligh) – a lie
n. 3. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nellie Bligh) – a tie
n. 4. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nellie Bligh) – an eye; generally in plural
n. 5. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nellie Bligh) – the trousers’ fly
n. 6. 1910s Aust. rhyming sl. (Nellie Bligh) – a meat pie
n. 7. 1935 Aust. sl. – cheap wine
n. 8. 1935 Amer. dial. – a cow, esp. a weak one
n. 9. 1968 Amer. dial. – a milking cow
n. 10. 1970 sl. – an ostentatious homosexual
• NELLIE BLIGH
n. 1. 1910s rhyming sl. – a lie
n. 2. 1910s rhyming sl. – the trousers’ fly
n. 3. 1910s rhyming sl. – a fly
n. 4. 1910s rhyming sl. – a tie
n. 5. 1910s rhyming sl. – an eye; generally in plural
n. 6. 1910s Aust. rhyming sl. – a meat pie
• NELLIE FAG
n. M20 US sl. – an effeminate male homosexual
• NELLIFY
vb. 1918 Amer. dial. – of a horse: to balk
• NELLIN
adj. Bk1905 Sc. – loud, loquacious, frivolous
• NELL’S BELLS
int. 19C US euphemism – Hell’s bells!
• NELLY
adj. 1963 US sl. – extremely, even outrageously, effeminate
n. 1. 1878 Eng. dial. – an umbrella
n. 2. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nelly Bligh) – a fly
n. 3. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nelly Bligh) – a lie
n. 4. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nelly Bligh) – a tie
n. 5. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nelly Bligh) – an eye; generally in plural
n. 6. 1910s rhyming sl. (Nelly Bligh) – the trousers’ fly
n. 7. 1910s Aust. rhyming sl. (Nelly Bligh) – a meat pie
n. 8. 1935 Aust. sl. – cheap wine
n. 9. 1970 sl. – an ostentatious homosexual
n. 10. M20 US sl. – a lesbian
vb. 2000s sl. – to act in an effeminate manner
• NELLY-ASSED
adj. 1963 US homosexual sl. – effeminate
• NELLY BLIGH; NELLY BLY
n. 1. 1910s rhyming sl. – a fly
n. 2. 1910s rhyming sl. – a lie
n. 3. 1910s rhyming sl. – a tie
n. 4. 1910s rhyming sl. – an eye; generally in plural
n. 5. 1910s rhyming sl. – the trousers’ fly
n. 6. 1910s Aust. rhyming sl. – a meat pie
• NELLY KELLY
n. 20C Aust. rhyming sl. – the belly
• NELLY LONG ARMS
n. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – a ‘boggart’; a spirit supposed to inhabit wells, and children were told that Nelly Long Arms would pull them in if they went too near
• NELLY OUT
vb. 2000s sl. – to act in an effeminate manner
• NELLY’S DEATH
n. 1935 Aust. sl. – cheap wine
• NELSON
adj. 1992 UK rhyming sl. (Nelson Eddy) – ready
• NELSON EDDIES
n. 1930s rhyming sl. for ‘readies’ – money, cash
• NELSON EDDY
adj. 1930s rhyming sl. – ready
• NELSON’S BLOOD
n. 19C Brit. sl. – rum; navy rum
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Lexicophilia 