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

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, necārunt, necāvēre1
	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		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		necāre			necārī			necāns			—
future		necātūrum esse			necātum īrī			necātūrus			necandus
perfect		necāvisse, necāsse1			necātum esse			—			necātus
future perfect		—			necātum fore			—			—
perfect potential		necātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		necandī		necandō		necandum		necandō		necātum		necātū

   Conjugation of necō (first conjugation)

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'.

• Balkano-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
    • Anglo-Norman: neier
      • Norman: néyaer
    • French: noyer
    • 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 (2003-2025), 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