ENGLISH
REFERENCE

NEC

n. uncountable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈnɛk// nec Archaic

n. a Latin word meaning 'and' that you might see in very old books or formal legal papers. It is not used in normal conversation today.

n. the Latin conjunction for 'and'. Archaic in general usage; occasionally appears in historical legal citations or formal academic contexts to link coordinate clauses.


SIMPLE

The old document listed the names as Smith nec Jones.

CONTEXTUAL

In certain archaic legal texts, the term nec appears as a negative conjunction to connect two prohibited actions.

COMPLEX

While modern English has entirely supplanted such Latinisms, the scholar noted the use of nec within the manuscript as evidence of the author's classical education.

Origin

Abbreviation.

Usage

Archaic; primarily found in Latin phrases or historical legal documents rather than modern prose.

© 2026 English Reference