"deny (something) to oneself," 1650s, from Latin abnegatus, past participle of abnegare "to refuse, deny," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + negare "to deny" (from PIE root *ne- "not"). Related: Abnegated; abnegating.

doctrine of non-violence, 1875, from Sanskrit ahimsa, from a "without" (from PIE root *ne- "not") + himsa "injury."

"reduce to nothing," 1520s, from Medieval Latin annihilatus, past participle of annihilare "reduce to nothing," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + nihil "nothing" (see nil). Related: Annihilated; annihilating.

Middle English had a past-participle adjective annichilate "destroyed, annulled, reduced to nothing" (late 14c.), from past participle of Old French anichiler "annihilate, destroy" (14c.) or the Medieval Latin verb.

late 14c., "invalidate, make void, nullify;" from Anglo-French and Old French anuler "cancel, wipe out" (13c.) or directly from Late Latin annullare "to make to nothing," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + nullum, neuter of nullus "nothing, none" (from PIE root *ne- "not"). Related: Annulled; annulling.

"nothing, zero," faulty separation of a naught (see naught). See adder for similar misdivisions.

early 14c., "declare to be untrue or untenable," from Old French denoiir "deny, repudiate, withhold," from Latin denegare "to deny, reject, refuse" (source of Italian dinegarre, Spanish denegar), from de "away" (see de-) + negare "refuse, say 'no,' " from Old Latin nec "not," from Italic base *nek- "not," from PIE root *ne- "not."

From late 14c. as "refuse, refuse to grant or give," also "refuse to acknowledge, disavow, disown." Sense of "refuse access to" is from 1660s. Related: Denied; denying.

I may not understand what you say, but I'll defend to your death my right to deny it. [Albert Alligator, "Pogo," Sept. 26, 1951] 

1763, "to drink to each other," from hob and nob (1756) "to toast each other by turns, to buy alternate rounds of drinks," alteration of hab nab "to have or have not, hit or miss" (c. 1550), which is probably ultimately from Old English habban, nabban "have, not have," (that is, "to take or not take," used later as an invitation to drinking), with the negative particle ne- attached (from PIE root *ne- "not"), as was customary; see have. Modern sense of "socialize" is 1866. Related: Hobnobbed; hobnobbing.

"no, no more," pig Latin for nix (v.).

mid-14c., "evil, an evil act," also " a trifle," c. 1400, "nothingness;" early 15c., in arithmetic, "the number zero;" from noht, naht (pron.) "nothing" (late 12c.), from Old English nawiht "nothing," literally "no whit," from na "no" (from PIE root *ne- "not") + wiht "thing, creature, being" (see wight). Also see nought.

Cognate with Old Saxon neowiht "nothing," Old High German niwiht, Gothic ni waihts, Dutch niet, German nicht. It also developed an adjectival sense in Old English, "good for nothing," which by mid-16c. had focused to "morally bad, wicked," though the modern adjective is naughty.

late 14c., nowghty, noughti "needy, having nothing," also "evil, immoral, corrupt, unclean," from nought, naught "evil, an evil act; nothingness; a trifle; insignificant person; the number zero" (from Old English nawiht "nothing;" see naught)) + -y (2).

Specific meaning "sexually promiscuous" is from 1869. The mitigated sense of "disobedient, bad in conduct or speech, improper, mischievous" (especially of the delinquencies of children) is attested from 1630s. Related: Naughtily; naughtiness. In 16c.-18c. a woman of bad character might be called a naughty pack (also sometimes used of men and later of children).