num (Latin)

Where does "num" come from?

The Latin adverb 'num' traces back to the Proto-Indo-European reconstructed form '*nū', which meant 'now'[1]. Over time, the word shifted in its usage and function within Latin to serve as a particle usually expecting a negation, as well as meaning 'whether'[1].

Open questions

• The derivation of the Latin word from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form '*nū' relies on linguistic reconstruction. [1]

Full etymology tree

• num (Latin), 'now (only in the phrase etiam num)'
  • inherited *nu (Proto-Indo-European), 'now'

Ancestors

• *nu (Proto-Indo-European)

Descendants and derived words

• numne (Latin)
• numquid (Latin)
• nunc (Latin)

Sources

1. num (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris