tat-sādṛśyam abhāvaś ca tad-anyatvaṁ tad-alpatā
tat-sādṛśyam abhāvaś ca tad-anyatvaṁ tad-alpatā |
aprāśastyaṁ virodhaś ca nañ-arthāḥ ṣaṭ prakīrtitāḥ ||
(A prācīna kārikā; cited in the Amṛta-ṭīkā and Bāla-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā to Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa: 1730)
“(1) Similarity to it [i.e., the substantive to which nañ- is affixed] and (2) absence [of it], (3) difference from it, (4) smallness of it, (5) non-praiseworthiness [of it], and (6) opposition [to it] are the six stated meanings of nañ [i.e., the negative prefix].”