Question

gainsay verb You might have trouble figuring out gainsay if you're thinking of our modern gain plus say. It should help to know that the gain- part is actually related to against—specifically the Old English prefix gēan- ("against, in opposition to"). From that came Middle English gain-, which was joined with sayen ("to say") to form gainsayen, the Middle English predecessor of gainsay. So when you see gainsay, think "to say against"—that is, "to deny" or "to contradict." 1 : to declare to be untrue or invalid2 : contradict, oppose

Accepted Answer

January 7, 2018 gayn-SAY There is no doubt that their work makes a useful contribution, but it does not provide enough evidence to gainsay the conclusions of earlier scholars."There is no gainsaying the fact that we have an obesity problem in the United States." — Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, The Buffalo News, 9 Dec. 2015

Word	gainsay
Date	January 7, 2018
Type	verb
Syllables	gayn-SAY
Etymology	You might have trouble figuring out gainsay if you're thinking of our modern gain plus say. It should help to know that the gain- part is actually related to against—specifically the Old English prefix gēan- ("against, in opposition to"). From that came Middle English gain-, which was joined with sayen ("to say") to form gainsayen, the Middle English predecessor of gainsay. So when you see gainsay, think "to say against"—that is, "to deny" or "to contradict."
Examples	There is no doubt that their work makes a useful contribution, but it does not provide enough evidence to gainsay the conclusions of earlier scholars. "There is no gainsaying the fact that we have an obesity problem in the United States." — Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, The Buffalo News, 9 Dec. 2015
Definition	1 : to declare to be untrue or invalid 2 : contradict, oppose

Gainsay English Middle January Verb Gayn Say Trouble Figuring