neco

See also: něco, and ñeco

Latin

Etymology

From nec- +‎ -ō (denominative verb suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“perish, disappear”).

See also noxius (“harmful”), noceō (“I hurt, harm”), nex (“murder, violent death”) (as opposed to mors), as well as Middle Welsh angheu (“death”), Breton ankou, Old Irish éc, Ancient Greek νέκυς (nékus, “a dead body”) and νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”), Old Persian 𐎻𐎴𐎰𐎹𐎫𐎹 (vi-n-θ-y-t-y /⁠vi-nathayatiy⁠/, “he injures”), Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬈𐬌𐬙𐬌 (nasiieⁱti, “disappears”), 𐬥𐬀𐬯𐬎- (nasu-, “corpse”), Sanskrit नश्यति (naśyati, “to disappear, perish”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈne.koː/, [ˈnɛkoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈne.ko/, [ˈnɛːko]

Verb

necō (present infinitive necāre, perfect active necāvī, supine necātum); first conjugation

1. to kill, murder (especially without physical wounding such as by poison or hunger)

   Synonyms: ēnecō, occīdō, interimō, cōnficiō, caedō, obtruncō, percutiō, interficiō, trucīdō, perimō, peragō, dēiciō, iugulō, sōpiō, tollō, absūmō, cōnsūmō

   aliquem igni necare ― to kill someone by fire (fire burning)

   aliquem ferro necare ― to kill someone by sword

2. (figuratively) to thwart, check
3. (Late Latin, Medieval Latin) (transitive) to drown

Conjugation

Conjugation of necō (first conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	necō	necās	necat	necāmus	necātis	necant
	imperfect	necābam	necābās	necābat	necābāmus	necābātis	necābant
	future	necābō	necābis	necābit	necābimus	necābitis	necābunt
	perfect	necāvī	necāvistī, necāstī1	necāvit, necāt1	necāvimus, necāmus1	necāvistis, necāstis1	necāvērunt, necāvēre, necārunt1
	pluperfect	necāveram, necāram1	necāverās, necārās1	necāverat, necārat1	necāverāmus, necārāmus1	necāverātis, necārātis1	necāverant, necārant1
	future perfect	necāverō, necārō1	necāveris, necāris1	necāverit, necārit1	necāverimus, necārimus1	necāveritis, necāritis1	necāverint, necārint1
passive	present	necor	necāris, necāre	necātur	necāmur	necāminī	necantur
	imperfect	necābar	necābāris, necābāre	necābātur	necābāmur	necābāminī	necābantur
	future	necābor	necāberis, necābere	necābitur	necābimur	necābiminī	necābuntur
	perfect	necātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	necātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	necātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	necem	necēs	necet	necēmus	necētis	necent
	imperfect	necārem	necārēs	necāret	necārēmus	necārētis	necārent
	perfect	necāverim, necārim1	necāverīs, necārīs1	necāverit, necārit1	necāverīmus, necārīmus1	necāverītis, necārītis1	necāverint, necārint1
	pluperfect	necāvissem, necāssem1	necāvissēs, necāssēs1	necāvisset, necāsset1	necāvissēmus, necāssēmus1	necāvissētis, necāssētis1	necāvissent, necāssent1
passive	present	necer	necēris, necēre	necētur	necēmur	necēminī	necentur
	imperfect	necārer	necārēris, necārēre	necārētur	necārēmur	necārēminī	necārentur
	perfect	necātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	necātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	necā	—	—	necāte	—
	future	—	necātō	necātō	—	necātōte	necantō
passive	present	—	necāre	—	—	necāminī	—
	future	—	necātor	necātor	—	—	necantor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		necāre	necāvisse, necāsse1	necātūrum esse	necārī	necātum esse	necātum īrī
participles		necāns	—	necātūrus	—	necātus	necandus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		necandī	necandō	necandum	necandō	necātum	necātū

¹At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

• ēnecō
• internecō
• necātor
• necātrīx
• pernecō

 

Descendants

Nearly all with the sense of 'drown'.

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: nec, nicari
  • Megleno-Romanian: nec, nicari
  • Romanian: îneca, înecare, neca
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: annegare
  • Neapolitan: anneà
  • Sicilian: annigari, annijari
• North Italian:
  • Ligurian: negâ
  • Lombard: negar, negà
  • Piedmontese: nié, nijé
  • Venetan: negar
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: noiier, noier
    • French: noyer
  • Anglo-Norman: neier
  • Norman: néyaer
  • Picard: noéïer
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: negar
  • Occitan: negar, nejar (northern), neiar (Vivaro-Alpine)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Portuguese: anegar
  • Spanish: anegar
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: annegare, annegai

References

• “neco”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “neco”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• neco in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• neco in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to perish in the flames: igni cremari, necari
    
  • to be starved to death (as punishment): fame necari
    
• “neco”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “neco”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray