Etymologically
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ne-

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [nɛ][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ne][1]

Forms

ne-[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ne (“not”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ne (“not”).[3] It is the old negative ⟨ne⟩ “not” used in compounds,[1][2] and is the same element as in nōn (from a phrase “not one”), neque “and not” and nisi “unless”.[3] De Vaan treats the particle nē “not, that not” as a stressed variant of the same particle.[3]

Cognate with Sanskrit न (ná, “not”), Lithuanian nè and Old Irish na.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds the negative ⟨ne⟩ first in the Forum inscription.[3]

Semantic evolution

It negates the whole meaning of the word it is joined to:[1] nefās “what is not right”, nēmō “nobody”, nesciō “not to know”, neuter “neither”.[2] It also lies behind negō “deny”, attested from Naevius on.[3]

Meanings

Prefix

  1. not, un-: negates the meaning of the base, as in nefās, nēmō, nesciō, neuter.[2][1]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill