necto

See also: něčto

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly related to nōdus (“knot”) and/or nassa (“a narrow-necked basket for catching fish”). The ending may be analogous to that found in plectō (“plait, weave, braid”)^[1] or pectō (“comb wool”).^[2]

More information

The following roots and cognates have been proposed:

Proto-Indo-European *gned-, *gnod- (“to bind”), making it cognate to Proto-Germanic *knuttô (“knot”) (whence Modern English knot), and possibly Ancient Greek γνάθος (gnáthos, “a jaw”).
Proto-Indo-European *ned- (“to turn, twist, knot”), whence English net, Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬯𐬐𐬀- (naska-, “bundle”), Old Irish nascaid (“to bind”).^[2] This in turn is sometimes interpreted as being connected to Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- (“spin, sew”), the root of Latin neō (“spin, weave”).^[1] The root of these forms has alternatively been reconstructed as Proto-Indo-European *neh₃d-.^[3]
Proto-Indo-European *h₁nedʰ- (“to tie together”) (alternatively reconstructed as *Hnadʰ-^[4] or *nedʰ-^[5]), whence (possibly) Sanskrit नह्यति (nahyati) and Proto-Germanic *nastijaną.
Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”)^[4]
Proto-Indo-European *h₁neǵʰ- (“to pierce”), the root of Old Church Slavonic ножь (nožĭ, “knife, dagger”), Proto-Slavic *nizati (“to string (to put (items) on a string)”).^[3]

The first three scenarios assume either dissimilation or intrusion of a velar suffix.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈnɛk.toː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈnɛk.to]
Hyphenation: nec‧tō

Verb

nectō (present infinitive nectere, perfect active nexī or nexuī, supine nexum); third conjugation

to connect, interweave, attach, unite; relate
Synonyms: cōnectō, iungō, vinciō
to bind, tie, fasten
Synonyms: cōnectō, colligō, adalligō, cōnfīgō, cōnserō, dēligō, ligō, illigō, alligō, dēfīgō, fīgō, vinculō, dēstinō

Antonyms: explicō, absolvō, dissolvō, solvō
to bind by obligation, oblige, make liable
to contrive, devise, compose, produce
Synonym: dēdūcō
(Ancient Rome, law) to bind a creditor under the bond of nexum, to enslave to a creditor
Coordinate terms: nexus, nexum
- 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita VIII.28:
  […] iussique consules ferre ad populum […] pecuniae creditae bona debitoris, non corpus obnoxium esset. Ita nexi soluti, cautumque in posterum ne necterentur.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Conjugation of nectō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	nectō	nectis		nectit	nectimus	nectitis		nectunt
	imperfect	nectēbam	nectēbās		nectēbat	nectēbāmus	nectēbātis		nectēbant
	future	nectam	nectēs		nectet	nectēmus	nectētis		nectent
	perfect	nexī, nexuī	nexistī, nexuistī		nexit, nexuit	neximus, nexuimus	nexistis, nexuistis		nexērunt, nexēre, nexuērunt, nexuēre
	pluperfect	nexeram, nexueram	nexerās, nexuerās		nexerat, nexuerat	nexerāmus, nexuerāmus	nexerātis, nexuerātis		nexerant, nexuerant
	future perfect	nexerō, nexuerō	nexeris, nexueris		nexerit, nexuerit	nexerimus, nexuerimus	nexeritis, nexueritis		nexerint, nexuerint
passive	present	nector	necteris, nectere		nectitur	nectimur	nectiminī		nectuntur
	imperfect	nectēbar	nectēbāris, nectēbāre		nectēbātur	nectēbāmur	nectēbāminī		nectēbantur
	future	nectar	nectēris, nectēre		nectētur	nectēmur	nectēminī		nectentur
	perfect	nexus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	nexus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	nexus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	nectam	nectās		nectat	nectāmus	nectātis		nectant
	imperfect	necterem	necterēs		necteret	necterēmus	necterētis		necterent
	perfect	nexerim, nexuerim	nexerīs, nexuerīs		nexerit, nexuerit	nexerīmus, nexuerīmus	nexerītis, nexuerītis		nexerint, nexuerint
	pluperfect	nexissem, nexuissem	nexissēs, nexuissēs		nexisset, nexuisset	nexissēmus, nexuissēmus	nexissētis, nexuissētis		nexissent, nexuissent
passive	present	nectar	nectāris, nectāre		nectātur	nectāmur	nectāminī		nectantur
	imperfect	necterer	necterēris, necterēre		necterētur	necterēmur	necterēminī		necterentur
	perfect	nexus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	nexus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	necte		—	—	nectite		—
active	future	—	nectitō		nectitō	—	nectitōte		nectuntō
passive	present	—	nectere		—	—	nectiminī		—
passive	future	—	nectitor		nectitor	—	—		nectuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		nectere		nectī		nectēns		—
future		nexūrum esse		nexum īrī		nexūrus		nectendus, nectundus
perfect		nexisse, nexuisse		nexum esse		—		nexus
future perfect		—		nexum fore		—		—
perfect potential		nexūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		nectendī	nectendō		nectendum	nectendō	nexum		nexū

Derived terms

Related terms

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Per Persson (1912), Beiträge zur indogermanischen Wortforschung, page 815
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 J. P. Mallory; D. Q. Adams (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, page 234
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Ranko Matasović (2017), “Latin presents in -t- and the etymologies of necto ‘to weave, bind’ and flecto ‘to bend, curve’”, in Pallas‎^[1], volume 103, →DOI, archived from the original on 13 October 2025, pages 37-44
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “nectō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 404
^ Schrijver, Peter C. H. (1991), The Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Latin (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 2), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 481