English
nectareous
Nectareous comes from Latin nectareus ‘of nectar’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- ‘to perish’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*neḱ-1‘to perish’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνέκταρ2néktar‘nectar’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνεκτάρεος2nektáreos‘sweet as nectar, fragrant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnectareus2‘of nectar’
- Englishearliest quotation 1725nectareous2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek νέκταρ, which cites Beekes
- 2 Wiktionary, English nectareous
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1725, Homer, Book XIV: “[O]n the board diſplay'd / The ready meal before…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*neḱ-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek νέκταρ, which cites Beekes‘to perish’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνέκταρWiktionary, English nectareousnéktar‘nectar’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνεκτάρεοςWiktionary, English nectareousnektáreos‘sweet as nectar, fragrant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnectareusWiktionary, English nectareous‘of nectar’
- Englishearliest quotation 1725nectareousWiktionary, English nectareous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1725, Homer, Book XIV: “[O]n the board diſplay'd / The ready meal before…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- ‘to perish’
innocent, innocence, nuisance, obnoxious, innocuous, noxious, necropolis, internecine, 18 more
Today it means
adj Pertaining to nectar; nectarous.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “nectareous”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek νέκταρ. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- / nectareous