Sha'n't

//ˈʃɑːnt// contraction

contraction ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Contraction
  1. 1
    Dated spelling of shan't. contraction

    "Bel[linda] […] Nay you ſha'n't go one ſtep out of the room. / […] Lady B[rute] Pray give me leave. / Lady Fanc[yfull] You know I won't. / Lady B. Indeed I muſt. / Lady Fanc. Indeed you ſha'n't. / Lady B. Indeed I will. / Lady Fanc. Indeed you ſha'n't. / Lady B. Indeed I will. / Lady Fanc. Indeed you ſha'n't. Indeed Indeed Indeed you ſha'n't. (Exit Lady Fanc. running. They follow."

Example

More examples

"Bel[linda] […] Nay you ſha'n't go one ſtep out of the room. / […] Lady B[rute] Pray give me leave. / Lady Fanc[yfull] You know I won't. / Lady B. Indeed I muſt. / Lady Fanc. Indeed you ſha'n't. / Lady B. Indeed I will. / Lady Fanc. Indeed you ſha'n't. / Lady B. Indeed I will. / Lady Fanc. Indeed you ſha'n't. Indeed Indeed Indeed you ſha'n't. (Exit Lady Fanc. running. They follow."

Etymology

Contraction of shall + not.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.