nescius

Latin

Etymology

From nesciō (“not to know”), equivalent to ne- +‎ scius, the latter more likely a backformation itself. Compare inscius.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈnes.ki.us/, [ˈnɛs̠kiʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈneʃ.ʃi.us/, [ˈnɛʃːius]

Adjective

nescius (feminine nescia, neuter nescium); first/second-declension adjective

1. not knowing, unknowing, in ignorance, ignorant, unaware, untaught

   Synonyms: ignārus, ignōrāns, īnscius, nesciēns, expers

   Antonyms: cōnsciēns, cognōscēns, cōnscius, scius, sciēns

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.71-72:

     [...] pāstor agēns tēlīs, līquitque volātile ferrum / nescius; [...].

     [...] and the shepherd, driving in [such] darts, has departed from his flying weapon, unaware; [...].
     (In the simile comparing Dido falling in love to a deer struck by an arrow, at first Aeneas — i.e., the archer — does not know what has happened.)

2. (passive voice) unknown

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	nescius	nescia	nescium		nesciī	nesciae	nescia
Genitive	nesciī	nesciae	nesciī		nesciōrum	nesciārum	nesciōrum
Dative	nesciō		nesciō		nesciīs
Accusative	nescium	nesciam	nescium		nesciōs	nesciās	nescia
Ablative	nesciō	nesciā	nesciō		nesciīs
Vocative	nescie	nescia	nescium		nesciī	nesciae	nescia

Derived terms

• nescium

Descendants

• Asturian: neciu, ñeciu
• Catalan: neci, nici
• Old French: nice, niche, nisce
  • English: nice
  • French: nice
• Galician: necio
• Italian: nescio
• Ligurian: néscio
• Occitan: nèci
• Portuguese: néscio
• Old Spanish: nesçio
  • Spanish: necio

References

• “nescius”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nescius”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• nescius in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • I know very well: non sum ignarus, nescius (not non sum inscius)