/kan"ot, ka not", keuh-/ , v.
1. a form of can not.
2. cannot but , have no alternative but to: We cannot but choose otherwise.
[ 1350-1400; ME ]
Usage . CANNOT is sometimes also spelled CAN NOT. The one-word spelling is by far the more common: Interest rates simply cannot continue at their present level. The contraction CAN'T is most common in speech and informal writing. See also can 1 .