The Old English Negative Adverb, Nay

When the nay was followed by a verb which began with a vow, the nay blended with that vow. So many of our modern negative terms begin with an end. The anglo saxons had an emphatic way of saying nothing. It was neicht, which ally meant not ever anything. Never was o ally na avre, literally not ever. But the two distinct words slurred together and produced never. None was originally na on, literally not one. Again, naon slurred into non and then became non. That earlier form non combined with the word thing and produced non thing, or nothing to day.