ни

Forms

ни (ni)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic ни (ni), from Proto-Slavic *ni (“nor, not”).^[1][2] The word is found in all the Slavic languages:^[3] Old Church Slavonic ни (ni), Ukrainian ні (ni), Bulgarian ни (ni), Serbo-Croatian ni, Slovene ni, Czech ni (beside ani) and Polish ni (beside ani).^[4]

It continues Proto-Indo-European *nei (“not, nor”),^[3] the source also of Lithuanian neĩ, Latvian nei (“nor, not even”), Latin nī (“not, lest”) (older nei), Oscan nei (“not”), Old High German nī (“not”) and Avestan naē-čiš (“no one”).^[4][3] Vasmer thinks the Indo-European word most likely joined the negation *ne with a deictic particle *ī, as in Ancient Greek οὑτοσί (houtosí, “this one here”);^[4] Shaposhnikov sees in it the phrase *ne ei “and not”,^[5] Shansky and Bobrova a compound of two particles (compare не and кой),^[6] and Wiktionary a locative of the negation.^[1][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Izbornik of 1076 has the particle, strengthening a negation, „не дажь ни ѥдиномѹ словеси ѥго пасти на земли” “let not a single word of His fall to the ground”, and the conjunction, „никогоже не оклеветаи ни осѹжаи” “slander no one, nor condemn”.^[7] Chernykh notes that the word is known from the beginning of writing.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian ни could also mean “than”, like Lithuanian neĩ: „луче ми съмьрть ни курьское кънѧжение” “death is better for me than the princedom of Kursk”.^[4] Old Russian already used ни as a particle strengthening a negation and as a conjunction “nor” in negated series,^[7][5] as in the Lay of Igor's Campaign: „ни соколу, ни кречету, ни тебѣ, чръныи воронъ” “neither to the falcon, nor to the gyrfalcon, nor to you, black raven”.^[8] With же it formed ниже, which could mean “than”: „лѹче желѣзо варити ни же зла жена казнити” “better to smelt iron than to punish a wicked wife” (1383).^[7]

After pronouns and adverbs ни gives the generalising sense of что ни, где ни; the indefinite -нибудь joins it with будь, the imperative of быть, and Kotoshikhin still wrote чем ни буди in the 17th century.^[4] Vinogradov traces the idiom ни синь пороха “not a speck, nothing at all” to an archaic ни синя пороха.^[9] Dialects use ни for “no” and ни-ни for “not at all”.^[10]

Timeline

• 1076 – ни as a particle and as a conjunction in the Izbornik of 1076.^[7]
• end of the 12th century – ни … ни in the Lay of Igor's Campaign.^[8]
• 1383 – ни же “than” in a Prologue.^[7]
• 17th century – чем ни буди “with anything at all” in Kotoshikhin.^[4]

Meanings

Particle

1. With a genitive: marks the complete absence of someone or something, or forbids an action: ни звука! “not a sound!”.^[11][12]
2. Strengthens a negation, often with один: не осталось ни одного билета “not a single ticket was left”.^[11][13]
3. In affirmative clauses with кто, что, как, куда and other pronominal words: whoever, whatever, however: куда ни посмотришь “wherever you look”.^[11][1]

Conjunction

1. Repeated, ни … ни: neither … nor, joining negated parts of a sentence or whole clauses.^[13][14][1]

Word family

• никто
• ничто
• никакой
• ничей
• ниоткуда
• никак

Related words

• не
• Old East Slavic ни (ni)

Usage notes

As a prefix ни- forms negative pronouns and adverbs (никто, ничто, никакой, никак); in oblique cases a preposition splits them: ни о чём, ни с кем.^[15] The indeclinable neuter ни “nu”, the name of the Greek letter, is from Greek νι (ni).^[14][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 352
3. ^ a b c d Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. ни
4. ^ a b c d e f Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 71–72
5. ^ a b Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 2, 20
6. ^ Shansky, N. M.; Bobrova, T. A. (2004), Škol'nyj ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Школьный этимологический словарь русского языка], 7th ed., Moskva: Drofa, p. s.v. ни
7. ^ a b c d e Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. s.v. ни
8. ^ a b Vinogradova, V. L. (1965–1984), Slovar'-spravočnik «Slova o polku Igoreve» [Словарь-справочник «Слова о полку Игореве»], 6 vols., Moskva / Leningrad: Nauka, p. s.v. ни
9. ^ Vinogradov, V. V. (1999), Istorija slov [История слов], Moskva: Institut russkogo jazyka RAN (online edition, etymolog.ruslang.ru), p. s.v. ни
10. ^ Filin, F. P.; Sorokoletov, F. P.; Myznikov, S. A. (eds.) (1965–), Slovar' russkix narodnyx govorov [Словарь русских народных говоров], vols. 1–51, Moskva / Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 21, 212
11. ^ a b c Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. ни
12. ^ Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. ни
13. ^ a b Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. ни
14. ^ a b Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. ни
15. ^ Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. ни...