Latin

Verb

nesciō ‎(present infinitive nescīre, perfect active nescīvī, supine nescītum); fourth conjugation

1. I cannot, I do not know, I am ignorant, I do not understand.
   • From Pro Caelio ‎(“For Marcus Caelius”) by Cicero (Latin and English translation may be found here, also English and Latin on Wikisource)

     Quae tu quoniam mente nescio qua effrenata atque praecipiti in forum deferri iudiciumque voluisti, aut diluas oportet ac falsa esse doceas aut nihil neque crimini tuo neque testimonio credendum esse fateare.

     And as for you, since, through some unbridled and headlong fury which I cannot comprehend you have chosen these things to be brought into court, and dilated on at this trial, you must either efface the charges yourself, and show that they are without foundation, or else you must confess that no credit is to be given to any accusations which you may make, or to any evidence which you may give.

   • (Carl von Linné, Critica botanica).

     Nōmina sī nescīs, perit et cognitio rērum.

     If you do not know names, the knowledge of the things is also lost.

   Nōmen nesciō. (N.N.)

   I do not know the name.

   Oculāria tē gerere nesciēbam.

   I didn't know you wore glasses.

Inflection

Synonyms

• (I don't know): īgnōrō

Descendants

• Aromanian: nishti
• English: nescient
• Italian: nesci
• Romanian: nești, neștine, niște, niscai

References

• nescio in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• nescio in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “nescio”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • by some chance or other: nescio quo casu (with Indic.)
    
  • an anonymous writer: nescio quis
    
  • the book is attributed to an unknown writer: liber refertur ad nescio quem auctorem
    

Ligurian

Noun

nescio

1. Alternative form of nesciu