The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Negative \Neg"a*tive\ (n[e^]g"[.a]*t[i^]v), a. [F. n['e]gatif,
   L. negativus, fr. negare to deny. See Negation.]
   1. Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial,
      negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry
      or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a
      negative opinion; -- opposed to affirmative.
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            If thou wilt confess,
            Or else be impudently negative.       --Shak.
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            Denying me any power of a negative voice. --Eikon
                                                  Basilike.
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            Something between an affirmative bow and a negative
            shake.                                --Dickens.
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   2. Not positive; without affirmative statement or
      demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of
      something; privative; as, a negative argument; negative
      evidence; a negative morality; negative criticism.
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            There in another way of denying Christ, . . . which
            is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess
            him.                                  --South.
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   3. (Logic) Asserting absence of connection between a subject
      and a predicate; as, a negative proposition.
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   4. (Photog.) Of or pertaining to a picture upon glass or
      other material, in which the lights and shades of the
      original, and the relations of right and left, are
      reversed.
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   5. (Chem.) Metalloidal; nonmetallic; -- contrasted with
      positive or basic; as, the nitro group is negative.
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   Note: This word, derived from electro-negative, is now
         commonly used in a more general sense, when acidiferous
         is the intended signification.
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   Negative crystal.
      (a) A cavity in a mineral mass, having the form of a
          crystal.
      (b) A crystal which has the power of negative double
          refraction. See refraction.

   negative electricity (Elec.), the kind of electricity which
      is developed upon resin or ebonite when rubbed, or which
      appears at that pole of a voltaic battery which is
      connected with the plate most attacked by the exciting
      liquid; -- formerly called resinous electricity. Opposed
      to positive electricity. Formerly, according to
      Franklin's theory of a single electric fluid, negative
      electricity was supposed to be electricity in a degree
      below saturation, or the natural amount for a given body.
      See Electricity.

   Negative eyepiece. (Opt.) see under Eyepiece.

   Negative quantity (Alg.), a quantity preceded by the
      negative sign, or which stands in the relation indicated
      by this sign to some other quantity. See Negative sign
      (below).

   Negative rotation, right-handed rotation. See
      Right-handed, 3.

   Negative sign, the sign -, or minus (opposed in
      signification to +, or plus), indicating that the
      quantity to which it is prefixed is to be subtracted from
      the preceding quantity, or is to be reckoned from zero or
      cipher in the opposite direction to that of quanties
      having the sign plus either expressed or understood; thus,
      in a - b, b is to be substracted from a, or regarded as
      opposite to it in value; and -10[deg] on a thermometer
      means 10[deg] below the zero of the scale.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Negative \Neg"a*tive\ (n[e^]g"[.a]*t[i^]v), n. [Cf. F.
   n['e]gative.]
   1. A proposition by which something is denied or forbidden; a
      conception or term formed by prefixing the negative
      particle to one which is positive; an opposite or
      contradictory term or conception.
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            This is a known rule in divinity, that there is no
            command that runs in negatives but couches under it
            a positive duty.                      --South.
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   2. A word used in denial or refusal; as, not, no.
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   Note: In Old England two or more negatives were often joined
         together for the sake of emphasis, whereas now such
         expressions are considered ungrammatical, being chiefly
         heard in iliterate speech. A double negative is now
         sometimes used as nearly or quite equivalent to an
         affirmative.
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               No wine ne drank she, neither white nor red.
                                                  --Chaucer.
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               These eyes that never did nor never shall
               So much as frown on you.           --Shak.
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   3. The refusal or withholding of assents; veto.
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            If a kind without his kingdom be, in a civil sense,
            nothing, then . . . his negative is as good as
            nothing.                              --Milton.
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   4. That side of a question which denies or refuses, or which
      is taken by an opposing or denying party; the relation or
      position of denial or opposition; as, the question was
      decided in the negative.
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   5. (Photog.) A picture upon glass or other material, in which
      the light portions of the original are represented in some
      opaque material (usually reduced silver), and the dark
      portions by the uncovered and transparent or
      semitransparent ground of the picture.
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   Note: A negative is chiefly used for producing photographs by
         means of passing light through it and acting upon
         sensitized paper, thus producing on the paper a
         positive picture.
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   6. (Elect.) The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic
      cell.
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   Negative pregnant (Law), a negation which implies an
      affirmation.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Negative \Neg"a*tive\ (n[e^]g"[.a]*t[i^]v), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Negatived (n[e^]g"[.a]*t[i^]vd); p. pr. & vb. n.
   Negativing.]
   1. To prove unreal or untrue; to disprove.
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            The omission or infrequency of such recitals does
            not negative the existence of miracles. --Paley.
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   2. To reject by vote; to refuse to enact or sanction; as, the
      Senate negatived the bill.
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   3. To neutralize the force of; to counteract.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

eyepiece \eye"piece`\ eye-piece \eye"-piece`\, n. (Opt.)
   The lens, or combination of lenses, at the eye end of a
   microscope, telescope or other optical instrument, through
   which the image formed by the mirror or object glass is
   viewed.

   Syn: ocular.
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   Collimating eyepiece. See under Collimate.

   Negative, or Huyghenian, eyepiece, an eyepiece
      consisting of two plano-convex lenses with their curved
      surfaces turned toward the object glass, and separated
      from each other by about half the sum of their focal
      distances, the image viewed by the eye being formed
      between the two lenses. it was devised by Huyghens, who
      applied it to the telescope. Campani applied it to the
      microscope, whence it is sometimes called Campani's
      eyepiece.

   Positive eyepiece, an eyepiece consisting of two
      plano-convex lenses placed with their curved surfaces
      toward each other, and separated by a distance somewhat
      less than the focal distance of the one nearest eye, the
      image of the object viewed being beyond both lenses; --
      called also, from the name of the inventor, Ramsden's
      eyepiece.

   terrestrial, or Erecting eyepiece, an eyepiece used in
      telescopes for viewing terrestrial objects, consisting of
      three, or usually four, lenses, so arranged as to present
      the image of the object viewed in an erect position.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

negative
    adj 1: characterized by or displaying negation or denial or
           opposition or resistance; having no positive features; "a
           negative outlook on life"; "a colorless negative
           personality"; "a negative evaluation"; "a negative
           reaction to an advertising campaign" [ant: neutral,
           positive]
    2: expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
       [ant: affirmative, affirmatory]
    3: having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant; "ran a
       negative campaign"; "delinquents retarded by their negative
       outlook on life"
    4: not indicating the presence of microorganisms or disease or a
       specific condition; "the HIV test was negative" [syn:
       negative, disconfirming] [ant: confirming, positive]
    5: reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as
       positive; "negative interest rates" [ant: positive]
    6: less than zero; "a negative number"
    7: designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive
       or helpful suggestions; "negative criticism" [syn:
       damaging, negative]
    8: having a negative charge; "electrons are negative" [syn:
       negative, electronegative, negatively charged]
    9: involving disadvantage or harm; "minus (or negative) factors"
       [syn: minus, negative]
    n 1: a reply of denial; "he answered in the negative" [ant:
         affirmative]
    2: a piece of photographic film showing an image with light and
       shade or colors reversed
    v 1: vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent; "The
         President vetoed the bill" [syn: veto, blackball,
         negative]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

406 Moby Thesaurus words for "negative":
   Cassandra-like, Cassandran, Cassandrian, Ditto copy, Photostat,
   Xerox, Xerox copy, abjuratory, abnegate, abnegation, abnegative,
   abolish, abrogate, absolute veto, adversary, adversative, adverse,
   algorismic, algorithmic, alien, aliquot, annihilate, annul,
   annulling, antagonistic, anti, antipathetic, antithetic, aquatint,
   argumentative, at cross-purposes, at loggerheads, at odds,
   at variance, at war, au contraire, autolithograph, aye, backing,
   be unmoved, be unwilling, beg off, belie, bibliofilm, bipack,
   black-and-white film, block, block print, blow sky-high, blow up,
   bring to naught, bring to nothing, buffer, cancel, cancel out,
   cancelling, cardinal, cartridge, cast, certainly not,
   chromolithograph, clashing, cold, color film, color negative film,
   color print, come to nothing, competitive, con, conflicting,
   contact print, contradict, contradicting, contradiction,
   contradictory, contrary, contravene, cool, copperplate,
   copperplate print, counter, counteract, counterbalance,
   countercheck, cranky, crayon engraving, cross, cut, cynical,
   deaf to, decimal, declension, declination, declinatory,
   declinature, decline, decline to accept, declining, defeatist,
   deflate, denial, denying, deprivation, detrimental, devoid, die,
   differential, differing, digital, disaccordant, disaffirm,
   disaffirming, disagree, disagreeable, disagreeing, disagreement,
   disallow, disallowance, disallowing, disavowing, disclaim,
   disclaimer, disclaiming, disclamation, disconfirm, discordant,
   discredit, discrepant, disharmonious, dismal, disobedience,
   disobedient, disowning, disproportionate, disprove, disputatious,
   disputing, dissent, dissentient, dissenting, dissentious,
   dissident, dissonant, divergent, dope, downbeat, dry plate,
   emulsion, enemy, engravement, engraving, enlargement, etching,
   even, existless, explode, exponential, expose, far from it,
   figural, figurate, figurative, film, finite, form, fractional,
   fractious, frame, frustrate, gainsay, gainsaying, gloomy,
   graphotype, grating, hectograph copy, hold out against,
   holding back, hostile, imaginary, immiscible, impair, impossible,
   impress, impression, imprint, impugn, in the negative, inaccordant,
   incompatible, infinite, inharmonious, inimical, intaglio, integral,
   interest, invalidate, irrational, item veto, jangling, jarring,
   kill, lacking, last, limited negative, limited veto,
   linoleum-block print, lithograph, logarithmic, logometric, matrix,
   mezzotint, microfilm, mimeograph copy, mint, minuend, minus,
   missing, mold, monochromatic film, motion-picture film, nay,
   naysaying, negate, negating, negation, negativate, negative answer,
   negative attitude, negatively, negativeness, negativism,
   negativistic, negativity, negatory, nein, neutralize, neutralizing,
   nihilistic, nix, no, no such thing, non, nonacceptance,
   noncompliance, nonconsent, nonconsenting, noncooperative,
   nonexistent, nonobservance, not, not a bit, not a jot, not a whit,
   not buy, not consent, not hear of, not really, not so,
   not think of, null, nullify, nullifying, numeral, numerary,
   numerative, numeric, nyet, obstinate, odd, offprint, offset,
   opponent, opposed, opposing, opposite, oppositional, oppositive,
   oppugnant, ordinal, orthochromatic film, out of accord,
   out of whack, overthwart, pack, pair, panchromatic film, perverse,
   pessimist, pessimistic, photocopy, photograph, photographic paper,
   photostatic copy, plate, plus, pocket veto, positive, prime, print,
   printing paper, pro, proof, prove the contrary, punch, puncture,
   quite the contrary, radical, rational, real, recalcitrant,
   recantation, recanting, reciprocal, redress, refractory, refusal,
   refuse, refuse consent, refusing, reject, rejection, rejective,
   renunciative, renunciatory, repeal, reprint, repudiate,
   repudiation, repudiative, repugnant, resist entreaty,
   resist persuasion, retention, revocative, revocatory, revoke,
   rival, roll, rubber-block print, rule against, say nay, say no,
   seal, shake the head, shoe last, show up, side, sound film,
   sound track, sound-on-film, soundstripe, stamp, stand aloof, stat,
   stultify, submultiple, subtrahend, surd, suspensory veto, template,
   the affirmative, the negative, thumbs-down, thwart,
   to the contrary, transcendental, traverse, tripack, turn down,
   turndown, uncheerful, uncomplaisant, uncompliant, uncomplying,
   uncongenial, unconsenting, uncooperative, undercut, undo,
   unenthusiastic, unexisting, unfavorable, unfriendly, unharmonious,
   uninterested, unpropitious, unresponsive, unwilling, unwillingness,
   vacuous, variant, vehicle, veto, vignette, vitiate, void, voiding,
   vote nay, vote negatively, withholding, without being,
   wood engraving, woodblock, woodcut, woodprint, xylograph



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

NEGATIVE. This word has several significations. 1. It is used in
contradistinction to giving assent; thus we say the president has put his
negative upon such a bill. Vide Veto. 2. It is also used in
contradistinction to affirmative; as, a negative does not always admit of
the simple and direct proof of which an affirmative is capable. When a party
affirms a negative in his pleadings, and without the establishment of which,
by evidence, he cannot recover or defend himself, the burden of the proof
lies upon him, and he must prove the negative. 8 Toull. n. 18. Vide 2 Gall.
Rep. 485; 1 McCord, R. 573; 11 John. R. 513; 19 John. R. 345; 1 Pick. R.
375; Gilb. Ev. 145; 1 Stark. Ev. 376; Bull. N. P. 298; 15 Vin. Ab. 540; Bac.
Ab. Pleas, &c. I.
    202. Although as a general rule the affirmative of every issue must be
proved, yet this rule ceases to operate the moment the presumption of law is
thrown into the other scale. When the issue is on the legitimacy of a child,
therefore, it is incumbent on the party asserting the illegitimacy to prove
it. 2 Selw. N. P. 709. Vide Affirmative Innocence.