[ˈnɛb̥ə]
OriginFrom earlier næp (“small, low”), probably related to Old Norse hneppr (“button”) and hneppa (“pinch”), all from Proto-Germanic *knappô, *knappa-, which is perhaps related to *knappō (“knob, boy”).
- probably not (referring to likelihood)
“Det er næppe muligt at tilfredsstille alle den her gang.” — It is probably not possible to satisfy everyone this time.
- hardly (referring to quantity)
“Hun gik så helt i sit eget, så næppe noget, hørte næppe noget.” — Then, she went entirely into herself, hardly saw anything, hardly heard anything.
“Næppe et minut efter smælder regnen ned over dem ...” — Hardly a minut later, the rain is pouring down on them ...
Source: Wiktionary — CC BY-SA 4.0