NAY, adverb [a contracted word, to deny] 1. No; a word that expresses negation. I tell you nay but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:3. 2. It expresses also refusal. He that will not when he may, When he would he shall have nay [In these senses it is now rarely used; no being substituted.] 3. Not only so; not this alone; intimating that something is to be added y way of amplification. He requested an answer; nay he urged it. NAY, noun Denial, refusal. NAY, verb transitive To refuse. [Not in use]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI