ain't

ain't
Etymology: contraction of are not Date: 1749 1. am not ; are not ; is not 2. have not ; has not 3. do not ; does not ; did not — used in some varieties of Black English Usage: Although widely disapproved as nonstandard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated, ain't in senses 1 and 2 is flourishing in American English. It is used in both speech and writing to catch attention and to gain emphasis <
the wackiness of movies, once so deliciously amusing, ain't funny anymoreRichard Schickel
>
<
I am telling you—there ain't going to be any blackmail — R. M. Nixon
>
. It is used especially in journalistic prose as part of a consistently informal style <
the creative process ain't easy — Mike Royko
>
. This informal ain't is commonly distinguished from habitual ain't by its frequent occurrence in fixed constructions and phrases <
well—class it ain'tCleveland Amory
>
<
for money? say it ain't so, Jimmy! — Andy Rooney
>
<
you ain't seen nothing yet
>
<
that ain't hay
>
<
two out of three ain't bad
>
<
if it ain't broke, don't fix it
>
. In fiction ain't is used for purposes of characterization; in familiar correspondence it tends to be the mark of a warm personal friendship. It is also used for metrical reasons in popular songs <
Ain't She Sweet
>
<
It Ain't Necessarily So
>
. Our evidence shows British use to be much the same as American.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ain’t — is a contraction originally used for “am not”, but also used for “is not”, “are not”, “has not”, or “have not” in the common vernacular. In some dialects it is also used as a contraction of “do not”, “does not”, and “did not”, as in I ain’t know… …   Wikipedia

  • Ain — Departamento de Francia …   Wikipedia Español

  • ʿAin — Ain in isolierter Form verbundene Formen ـع ـعـ عـ von rechts beidseitig nach links …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ain't — 1. Ain t is one of the most controversial words in current English, arousing passions that one would never have dreamt of from such a seemingly inoffensive word. ‘Do you hear? Don t say “ain t” or “dang” or “son of a buck”…You re not a pair of… …   Modern English usage

  • Ain — steht für: Ain (Fluss), ein Fluss in Frankreich Département Ain, ein französisches Département Ain (Stern), den Stern Epsilon Tauri Ain (Arabischer Buchstabe), den arabischen Buchstaben ‏ع‎ Die Abkürzung AIn steht für: A.V. Austria Innsbruck,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • AIN — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}}   Sigles d une seule lettre   Sigles de deux lettres > Sigles de trois lettres …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ain't — [ānt] [early assimilation, with lengthened and raised vowel, of amn t, contr. of am not; later confused with a nt (are not), i nt (is not), ha nt (has not, have not)] contraction 1. Informal am not 2. a) is not or are not b) has not or have not:… …   English World dictionary

  • ain — adj. 1. belonging to or on behalf of a specified person especially one s self; preceded by a possessive. my ain is Scottish Syn: own(prenominal). [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ain't — A contraction for are not and am not; also used for is not. [Colloq. or illiterate speech]. See {An t}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ain — (spr. Äug), 1) Fluß in Frankreich, forellenreich, entspringt auf dem Jura, fällt in die Rhone; 2) Departement in Frankreich, Theil des ehemaligen Burgund, zwischen Savoyen, Schweiz, Rhone, Jura, Isère, Saone, Loire, 1063/5 QM., östlich gebirgig… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Ain [1] — Ain ( Ain, arab.), soviel wie Quelle …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”