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| Necreavit |
Prospero finds this "nonsense Latin word" carved into the sash of King Gorm's Hall of Records [The Face in the Frost, 58].
This is, as John writes, not a real word. Bowen further explains the Latin origins: "creavit by itself means he has created. Ne can be a negative, but it isn't as such here (running two words together didn't mean very much in ancient or medieval texts; we've become much more fussy about that in recent centuries). Still, I'm more inclined to see something formed by combining Latin creavit with the Greek root from which necrotic and necropolis are derived: nekros (corpse). Thereby He has made a corpse or he has killed are perhaps consistent with the feeling in this scene. It's worth pointing out also that neco in Latin means kill, murder." |
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