Deny

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /dɪˈnaɪ/

Definitions

1. To refuse to grant, accept, or acknowledge something as true or valid
2. To reject or refuse acknowledgment of a request or circumstance, asserting that it is not true or valid in any form
3. To state that something is not true or to refuse recognition of its existence ; to withhold or refuse to provide something that is asked for or expected

Etymology: The verb "deny" is a compact piece of Latin logic: "de-" meaning "away" plus "negare," "to refuse" or "to say no." Latin "denegare" built the idea of sending a request away with a refusal, and that core sense of rejection still runs through every modern meaning, whether you deny an accusation or deny someone a favour. The word reached English through Old French "denoier," which carried the same sense of repudiating or rejecting, and it arrived in Middle English as "denyen." Along the way, the Latin root "negare" also gave English words such as "negate" and "negative," so "deny" sits in the same family as those more technical terms. Its close relative is "denegate," a doublet that entered English directly from Latin. The two words share an origin but took different routes into the language, one through French and the other straight from Latin, so English ended up with two forms of the same idea.

Synonyms: refuse, reject, disclaim

Antonyms: accept, admit, acknowledge