Etymology of the English word incest
the English word
incestderived from the Latin word
incestus (unchaste; unholy, unclean)
derived from the Latin word
in-derived from the Church Latin word
castus (ceremonial state of abstinence; sexual abstinence on religious grounds; pure, moral; chaste)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kes-using the Latin prefix
in- (suffix for no)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*ne (not)
Date
The earliest known usage of incest in English dates from the 13th century.
Cognates
Dutch
incest, French
inceste, German
Inzest, Norwegian
incest, Swedish
incestUsage
Word found in Modern English
