English
né
Né comes from Old French né, from Latin nāscor ‘to be born’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to give birth’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to give birth’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnāskōr‘to be born’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāscor‘to be born’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātusperfect active participle of nāscor
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400né
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form
- Englishearliest quotation 1987same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to give birth’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnāskōr‘to be born’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāscor‘to be born’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātusperfect active participle of nāscor
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400né
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form
- Englishearliest quotation 1987same form
Earliest quotation: 1987, Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: “It remained in the custody of Mr Svlad, or…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to give birth’
general, kind, king, german, nation, engine, generation, gender, genuine, gene, genius, oxygen, ken, genre, gentle, indigenous, hydrogen, genocide, genus, kin, genital, ingenious, germ, gentile, janata, gens, puny, glycogen, genial, genteel, cognate, gingerly, genitive, jaunty, azadi, nomen, estrogenic, naïveté, 104 more
through Latin nāscor ‘to be born’
nature, pregnant, innate, nascent, renate, 9 more
through Latin nātus
natural, native, naive, noel, natal, nativity, nada, naïve, 7 more
through French né
Another origin of né
- Old Dutchc. 500–1150*nēnreconstructed
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500neen
- Dutchc. 1500–presentnee‘no’
- Afrikaansmodernsame form‘no’
- Englishtodayné
Today it means
adj Used when giving the former name of a man.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.