‖nee, adverb

/nɪə/
Forms:
Also ne, ney.
Origin:
Afrikaans.
No.
1. Expressing a negative response to a statement or question, or introducing a correction to a prior statement or assumption.
1888 Cape Punch 14 Sept. 139‘Good evening, Samuel. Don’t forget to call round early tomorrow morning...’ ‘Ne, baas. Good ebenning.’
1961 S. Cloete in Best of S. Afr. Short Stories (1991) 289‘I believe that our Japie is mad...’ ‘Nee, Hendrik,’ his wife said, ‘our Japie is not mad.’
1963 R. Gedye in C.M. Booysen Tales of S. Afr. 156‘Are you going out to-night?’ ‘Nee, I don’t think so...’
1973 E. Prov. Herald 12 June 9‘Seems to be coming from here.’ I indicated the small box near the spark plug. ‘Ag, nee man’ they both laughed, ‘that’s the impulse’. ‘Nee, this is a different noise.’
1979 Daily Dispatch 11 May 18‘It is more a tribute to their well-oiled political machine in the Cape Province than to a genuine belief in their policies,’...‘Ag, nee,’ objected several Nats.
1989 W. Swing in Sunday Times 3 Dec. 27‘Apartheid — nee’ and ‘amandla — yebo’. Which is it? Or is it both?
1990 Frontline Mar.–Apr. 16Does it trouble him, her driving with coloureds? ‘Agge Neee, man. Her colleagues are very respectable people.’
2. In the adverbial phrase nee wat [Afrikaans, wat/vat/, ‘what’, as interjection, ‘please’, ‘won’t you’]: ‘oh, no’; ‘no indeed’, ‘certainly not’; no what.
a. Used for emphasis with the force of an expletive, without implying negation.
1900 B. Mitford Aletta 34‘Maagtig! but they are liars, those English newspaper men’...‘Nee wat. I would like to get the miserable ink-squirter who wrote that, and make him run at five hundred yards from my Martini.’
b. As an expression of dismay, disagreement, or refusal.
1917 S.T. Plaatje Native Life 83Anna leaving the farm, O, nee wat! (Oh, no). We must find out who it is.
1973 A. Fugard Boesman & Lena (1980) 21Ag nee wat! You must try something there.
1979 F. Dike First S. African 30Ney wat, ou Solly drinks scotch only. Ney Solly?
1991 B. Krige in Sunday Times 14 July 5 (caption)Ag nee wat, now the dominee won’t let us drink and dance in Dealesville.
3. Used to emphasize a statement, without implying negation.
1958 S. Cloete Mask 59Nee, a man like that is better dead.
[1988 G. Silber in Style Apr. 41The ladies..try hard to look awestruck...‘O, nee, dis mooi,’ says Tannie Margaret. ‘It’s a very nice one, Hugh,’ says Tannie Marie.]
No.
Expressing a negative response to a statement or question, or introducing a correction to a prior statement or assumption.
In the adverbial phrase nee wat: ‘oh, no’; ‘no indeed’, ‘certainly not’; no what.
Used for emphasis with the force of an expletive, without implying negation.
As an expression of dismay, disagreement, or refusal.
Used to emphasize a statement, without implying negation.
Derivatives:
Hence nee  noun, an utterance of the word ‘nee’.
1973 Drum 22 Jan. 22Mnr. Greyling is very clear. He gives a loud and big, ‘Nee’.
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18881991

Derivatives

nee, n.
Ned Herv, adjectival phraseadj. phr.neef, nounn.
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