nego

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈnɛ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnɛː.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

negō (present infinitive negāre, perfect active negāvī, supine negātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from the negative neg- of neque “and not”.^[2][1] The TLL derives it from a phrase of two particles, *né gó/e “not at all”, comparing Ancient Greek ἐγώ γε (egṓ ge, “I at least”).^[3] Lewis and Short took it from ne and aiō “to say yes”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has it with an accusative and infinitive: a woman denies that she is the man's mother.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense was to say that something is not so, to deny, the opposite of aiō.^[2][4] From this it meant to refuse to give, withhold, to say no to a request or a person, to decline to do something, and to forbid or disallow.^[2] Döderlein distinguishes negāre, denying with the truth in view, from īnfitiārī, disowning for personal reasons.^[6] An old form negumāte “deny” occurs in the verses of the seer Marcius.^[4]

It survives in Italian negare, French nier and Spanish negar.^[1] English negate dates from 1795.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of denying.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero says we can refuse nothing to the wretched.^[2][5]
• 1795 – English negate is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To deny, say that something is not so.^[2]
2. To refuse, withhold.^[2]
3. To say no (to a person or request).^[2]
4. To decline (to do something).^[2]
5. To forbid, disallow.^[2]

Word family

• abnegō
• adnego
• dēnegō
• negantia
• negantinummius
• negātiō
• negātīvus
• negātor
• negātrīx
• negibundus
• negitō
• pernegō

Related words

• neque
• aiō
• English negate
• English negative
• English deny

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com