Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “negligence” come from?

Negligence comes from Old French negligence, from Latin neglegentia, derived from Latin neglego meaning "to disregard," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne meaning "not."

negligence (English): The state of being negligent; The tort whereby a...

Definitions

  1. The state of being negligent; The tort whereby a...

Ancestry of “negligence”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchnégligerto neglect; to ignore
2Italiannegligereto neglect to do something, neglect to take...
3Spanishnegligir—
4Latinnegligeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
5LatinnegligoAlternative form of neglegō
6LatinneglegoI neglect, overlook, pass over; I am indifferent...
7Latinneclego—
8LatinlegoI choose, select, appoint; I collect, gather,...
9Latinlexa proposition or motion for a law made to the...
10Proto-Italiclēg-—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-s—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- →