Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “nefas” come from?

nefas (Latin) comes from Latin nē, from Latin gēns, from Proto-Italic *gentis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.

Ancestry of “nefas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinnē—
2Latingēns—
3Proto-Italic*gentis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁tisbirth, production
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →