Etymology

cannot

can·not
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Today it means: Can not; be unable to (whether due to physical inability, logical impossibility, etc.). Full definition →

Middle English can not, cannot, cannouȝt
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromcan not, cannot, cannouȝt
  2. English todaycannot

From Middle English can not, cannot, cannouȝt, etc. (compare Old English ne cann), equivalent to can + not.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.