nor
nor Lexical Profile
nor Game Scores & Validity
• conjunction
Used before the second or further of two or more alternatives (the first being introduced by a negative such as 'neither' or 'not') to indicate that they are each untrue or each do not happen.
"The committee received neither an explanation nor an apology for the sudden cancellation of the event."
Used to introduce a further negative statement, accompanied by inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb.
"She had no desire to leave her hometown, nor could she afford the high cost of relocating to the capital."
Word Nuance & Usage
When 'nor' introduces an independent clause, the subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted (e.g., 'He did not call, nor did he write'). Within a correlative 'neither... nor' construction, the verb agrees in number with the noun subject closest to it.
• Rhymes for nor
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'nor', a contraction of 'nother' (variant of 'neither'), which derives from Old English 'nahwæther' ('neither of two', literally 'not whether').