adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
nefāstus
nefāstus (feminine nefāsta, neuter nefāstum)
Classical[nɛˈfaːs.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[neˈfas.tus]
Meaning
- adjectiveon which judgment could not be pronounced or assemblies of the people be held
- adjectivefigurativelycontrary to the sacred rites or to religion; irreligious, impious; wicked, profane, abandoned; unlucky, inauspicious; hurtful
Ille et nefasto te posuit die...
"Whoever planted you that cursed day..." (Horace, Ode II.13)Quid intactum nefasti liquimus?
"What have we, in our impiety, left inviolate?" (Horace, Ode I.35)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | nefāstus | nefāsta | nefāstum |
| genitive | nefāstī | nefāstae | nefāstī |
| dative | nefāstō | nefāstae | nefāstō |
| accusative | nefāstum | nefāstam | nefāstum |
| ablative | nefāstō | nefāstā | nefāstō |
| vocative | nefāste | nefāsta | nefāstum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | nefāstī | nefāstae | nefāsta |
| genitive | nefāstōrum | nefāstārum | nefāstōrum |
| dative | nefāstīs | nefāstīs | nefāstīs |
| accusative | nefāstōs | nefāstās | nefāsta |
| ablative | nefāstīs | nefāstīs | nefāstīs |
| vocative | nefāstī | nefāstae | nefāsta |
nĕfastus, a, um, adj. nefas.
I. Lit. (opp. to fastus): dies nefasti, days on which judgment could not be pronounced or assemblies of the people be held: fastis diebus jura fari licebat, nefastis quaedam non licebat fari, Paul. ex Fest. p. 93 Müll.: nefasti dies notantur N littera, quod iis nefas est praetori, apud quem lege agitur, fari tria verba: do, dico, addico, Paul. ex Fest. p. 165 Müll.;
v. 1. fastus: ille (Numa) nefastos dies fastosque fecit, quia aliquando nihil cum populo agi, utile futurum erat, Liv. 1, 19, 7; Varr. L. L. 6, 4, 30; Ov. F. 1, 47; Gai. Inst. 4, 29.—II. Transf.
A. For nefas, contrary to the sacred rites or to religion; irreligious, impious: QVAE AVGVR INIVSTA, NEFASTA, DEFIXERIT, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Leg. 2, 8 fin.:
prolibare dis nefastum habetur, etc., Plin. 14, 19, 23, § 119.—2. In gen., wicked, profane, abandoned: homines ad hanc rem idonei;
nam istorum nullus nefastust, Plaut. Poen. 3, 2, 7.—Esp., subst.: nĕfastum, i, n. (sc. crimen), a wicked deed, abomination, profanity (poet. and in post - Aug. prose): quid intactum nefasti Liquimus? profane, criminal, Hor. C. 1, 35, 35; Plin. 4, 11, 18, § 47.—B. Unlucky, inauspicious = funestus, ater (not anteAug.):
ille et nefasto te posuit die, etc., Hor. C. 2, 13, 1: cum diem natalem ejus (Agrippinae) inter nefastos referendum suasisset, Suet. Tib. 53; Tac. A. 14, 12 init.: ne qua terra sit nefasta victoriae suae, Liv. 6, 28, 8: Acheron, Stat. Th. 4, 456: loca, id. ib. 1, 273: religiosi dies dicuntur tristi omine infames ... quos multitudo imperitorum prave et perperam nefastos appellat, Gell. 4, 9, 5.—C. Hurtful, injurious: innocentiorem tamen esse marem (fruticem);
eaque causa est ne inter nefastos frutex damnetur, Plin. 20, 11, 44, § 114.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
nefāstus adj.
nefas, contrary to religion, irreligious, impious : iniusta nefasta dicere,
XII. XII Tabb. ap. C.—As subst n . (sc. crimen), a wicked deed, abomination, profanity : quid intactum nefasti Liquimus? H.—Of days, unhallowed, unpropitious, on which courts or public assemblies must not sit : ille (Numa) nefastos dies fastosque fecit, L.: (dies) per quem tria verba silentur (i. e. on which the praetor does not utter his words of authority: do, dico, addico), O.— Unlucky, inauspicious : Ille et nefasto te posuit die, etc., H.: ne terra victoriae suae, L.
Origins
From nefās. Compare with nefārius, nefandus, infandus.
Descendants
- Englishnefast
- Frenchnéfaste
- Romaniannefastfrom French néfaste
- Italiannefasto
- Portuguesenefasto
- Spanishnefasto
- Dutchnefastfrom French néfaste