If'n
conj, contraction ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Contraction of if and when. abbreviation, alt-of, archaic, contraction
- 1 If. Southern-US, dialectal
"We'll^([sic]) I'm try'n to cooperate and let you know where I'll be if n you need me!"
Example
More examples"We'll^([sic]) I'm try'n to cooperate and let you know where I'll be if n you need me!"
Etymology
From if + and (when).
Uncertain. The spelling ef'n is attested since at least 1909. Perhaps a compound of if and an (“if”) (a variant, attested since Middle English, of and (“if”); compare an if and gin (“if”)); if an is attested since at least the 1700s. Alternatively, perhaps a compound of if and -in', generalized from conjunctional uses of considering, excepting, and so on, or of if and -en as in offen (“off”), outen (“out”) (which goes back to Old English ūtan), etc. Compare less'n. Lastly, as with the etymology above, it may be a contraction of if (and) when.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.