Meanings
adverbnowhy (not comparable)
- dialectalnot comparableFor no reason.
"You must not talk that way, Devereux," he said, still a good deal more dismayed by his looks than his words. "Why are you so troubled with vapours and blue devils?" "Nowhy!" said Devereux, with a grim smile.
1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “In Which Two Comrades are Tête-à-Tête in Their Old Quarters, and Doctor Sturk’s Cue Is Cut Off, and a Consultation Commences”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume III, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 139
Origin
no + why; compare nowhere, nohow.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
nowhy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nowhy
MLA
“nowhy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nowhy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nowhy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nowhy.
Source: nowhy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.