nytan

Old English

Alternative forms

• nitan, netan

Etymology

Contraction of ne (“not”) + witan (“to know”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈny.tɑn/

Verb

nytan

1. to not know
   • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English

     Nāt iċ hwǣr iċ finde mīne bōc.

     I don't know where to find my book.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 20:22

     Ġit nyton hwæs ġit biddaþ.

     You two don't know what you're asking for.

   • Matthew 21:27

     Þā andswarodon hīe and cwǣdon, "Wē nyton."

     Then they answered and said, "We don't know."

   • Matthew 26:70

     And hē wiþsōc beforan eallum and cwæþ, "Nāt iċ hwæt þū sæġst."

     And he denied it in front of everyone and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Luke 23:34

     Fæder, forġief him, for þām hīe nyton hwæt hīe dōþ.

     Father, forgive them, because they don't know what they're doing.

   • John 8:14

     Ġē nyton hwanon iċ cōm ne hwæder iċ gā.

     You don't know where I came from or where I'm going.

   • John 9:12

     Þā cwǣdon hīe tō him, "Hwǣr is hē?" Þā cwæþ hē, "Iċ nāt."

     Then they said to him, "Where is he?" And he said, "I don't know."

   • John 9:25

     Ġif hē synfull is, þæt iċ nāt. Ān þing iċ wāt, þæt iċ wæs blind, and þæt iċ nū ġesēo.

     Whether he's a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know is, I was blind, and now I can see.

Conjugation

Conjugation of nytan (preterite-present)

infinitive	nytan	nytenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	nāt	nysse, nyste
second person singular	nāst	nyssest, nystest
third person singular	nāt	nysse, nyste
plural	nyton	nysson, nyston
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	nyte	nysse, nyste
plural	nyten	nyssen, nysten
imperative
singular	nyte
plural	nytaþ
participle	present	past
	nytende	(ġe)nyten

Derived terms

• nyten