Etymologically
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neco

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈnɛ.koː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnɛː.ko][1]

Forms

necō (present infinitive necāre, perfect active necāvī, supine necātum); first conjugation[1] Ennius and Phaedrus have the perfect necuit.[2]

Etymology

It is from nex “violent death”, from the root Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“to perish”).[2][1] It is related to noceō “to harm” and noxius.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of killing.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to put to death, kill, as in Plautus, and in Seneca to kill plants.[2] Döderlein explains that interficere and perimere are the most general words for killing, and lists the more specific ones beside them.[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to kill, slay.[5] Its descendants narrowed to drowning, as Romanian îneca.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of killing.[2][3]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius has the perfect necuit.[2][3]
  • 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it of plants.[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To kill, put to death.[2]
  2. To kill (plants).[2]

Word family

  • ēnecō
  • internecō
  • necātor
  • necātrīx
  • pernecō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson