none

Etymology 1

From Middle English none, noon, non (“not one”), from Old English nān (“not one, not any, none”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz (“none, nought, nothing”), equivalent to ne (“not”) + one. (Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.) Cognate with Scots nane (“none”), Saterland Frisian naan, neen (“no, not any, none”), West Frisian neen & gjin (“no, none”), Dutch neen & geen (“no, none”), Low German nēn, neen (“none, no one”), German nein & kein (“no, none”), Latin nōn (“not”).

pron

1. Not any of a given number or group.
   1. No one, nobody.
      None of those people is my father.
   2. No person.
      None of those people are my parents.
      Alas, none of these people were writing the reviews. 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, page 253

det

1. (archaic outside Scotland, West Country) Not any; no (usually used only before a vowel or h):
   Thou shalt have none other gods but me.
   None lasses were in the dunces' row. If one had been there people would have looked at her and felt sorry but not boys. 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 138

adv

1. To no extent, in no way.
   I felt none the worse for my recent illness.
   my lack of education hasn't hurt me none 1973, Paul Simon (lyrics and music), “Kodachrome”
2. Not at all, not very.
   He was none too pleased with the delays in the program that was supposed to be his legacy.
   We could hear none too well from the back.
3. (obsolete) No, not.
   And up into his contour-hous gooth he / To rekene with hymself, wel may be, / Of thilke yeer how that it with hym stood, / And how that he despended hadde his good, / And if that he encresses were or noon. c. 1390, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Shipman's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales

Etymology 2

From the first sense, since they respond “none” when asked about their religion; also a play of words on nun.

noun

1. (chiefly American) A person without religious affiliation.
   Both the religiously dis-identified ("nones") and the religiously committed report mystical experiences. 2003, Jacob A. Belzen, Antoon Geels, Mysticism: A Variety of Psychological Perspectives, page 50
   Stable nones, that is, people who report in both years that they have no religious affiliation, are, in fact, much less religious 2010, Robert D. Putnam, David E Campbell, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, page 591
   we have grouped people into nones (no religion), Jews, Catholics, mainline Protestants, and evangelical protestants. 2013, Michael Corbett, Politics and Religion in the United States

Etymology 3

From French none, from Latin nōna (“ninth; ninth hour”).

noun

1. Alternative form of nones: the ninth hour after dawn; (Christianity) the religious service appointed to this hour.
2. (obsolete) Synonym of midafternoon: the time around or following noon or nones.
   None of the day, is the third quarter of the day beginning at Noon and lasting till the Sun be gone half way towards setting. 1656, T. Blount, Glossographia
   The last, which began at the middle of the Afternoon, i.e. at half the Time between Noon and Sun-setting, was called None, because it began at the Ninth Hour. 1706, L.E. Dupin, “v, 43”, in D. Cotes, transl., A New Ecclesiastical History of the 16th Century, volume II