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.
nefas (Latin): wrong; (moral) offense; wicked act; misdeed or misdoing
Definitions
- wrong; (moral) offense; wicked act; misdeed or misdoing
Ancestry of “nefas”, step by step
nefas traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin nē
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | nē | no; not |
| 2 | Latin | gēns | Roman clan (related by birth or marriage and sharing a common name and often united by certain religious rites) |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | *gentis | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via Latin fas
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | fas | dictates of religion, divine law (opp. iūs, human law), or an obligation thereunder |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂os | utterance, saying |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂- | to shine, glow light; to speak, say |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-s-ri- | — |