Etymologically
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nescius

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈnɛs.ki.ʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnɛʃ.ʃi.us][1]

Forms

nescius (feminine nescia, neuter nescium); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is formed from nesciō “not to know”, or from ne- “not” and scius “knowing”, as inscius and conscius are formed.[2][1][3] De Vaan thinks sciō “to know” is itself a back-formation from nescīre, from a root meaning “to cut, distinguish”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has “if there is anything I did not know, I will pass it on to you as unknown”, with nescius in the passive sense.[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant not knowing, unaware, as Cicero's “in case you don't know, Dolabella has made me his legate”, and with a genitive ignorant of, as Virgil's “the mind of man, ignorant of fate”.[2][5] With an infinitive it meant unable, as Horace's miser not knowing how to use his savings.[2]

In the passive sense it meant unknown, as in Plautus.[2] Through Old French nice it gave English nice, which in the late 13th century meant “foolish, ignorant”.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in the sense “unknown”.[2][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it in the sense “unaware”.[2][7]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it with a genitive.[5][7]
  • late 13th century – English nice is recorded, meaning “foolish”.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not knowing, unaware, ignorant.[2][1]
  2. (with genitive) Ignorant of, inexperienced in.[2]
  3. (with infinitive) Not knowing how, unable.[2]
  4. (passive) Unknown.[2][1]

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 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. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de