Denies

How to spell denies

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce denies

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does denies mean?

1. verbStates that something is untrue, or refuses to grant or allow something.

Denies in a sentence

• The company flatly denies any wrongdoing in the report.

• The landlord routinely denies tenants permission to keep pets.

Where does denies come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin denegare, which combined the intensifying prefix de- with negare, meaning 'to say no' or 'to refuse'. The root negare itself grew from the little word nec, an old Latin way of saying 'not', so the whole sense was to firmly and completely refuse. English took the verb in through Old French denier during the 1200s, where it already meant to reject a claim or refuse a request. The same negare root still sits inside the everyday words 'negative' and 'renege', which is a handy reminder that this is all about saying no. The spelling trap appears only when 'deny' takes its present-tense ending: the final y turns into ie before the -es, giving denies rather than denys.

How the word is built

• de- (completely, away)
• ny (from Latin negare: to say no)
• -es (third person singular ending; the y of deny changes to ie)