Where does “nequam” come from?

nequam (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.

nequam (Latin): worthless, good-for-nothing; wretched, vile

Definitions

  1. worthless, good-for-nothing; wretched, vile

Ancestry of “nequam”, step by step

nequam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin nē

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinnēno; not
2LatingēnsRoman clan (related by birth or marriage and sharing a common name and often united by certain religious rites)
3Proto-Italic*gentis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁tisbirth, production
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

via Latin quam

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinquamin what way, to what degree; how, how much, as...
2Proto-Italickʷoiwho, what
3Proto-Indo-Europeankʷóswho

Words derived from “nequam”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis →Every word from Proto-Italic *gentis →