Incest
/ˈɪn.sɛst/noun
Sexual relations between close relatives.
Did you know?Latin incestus could mean not only sexual impurity but also ritual pollution, showing how ancient societies linked forbidden desire with sacred contamination.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*k̑ed-
“to be pure, clean, chaste”
Latin
Latin
castus
“pure, morally clean, chaste”
Latin
Latin
incestus
“unchaste, impure, sexually forbidden; ritually polluted”
Old French
Old French
inceste
“incest, sexual relations between close kin”
Middle English
English
incest
“incest; unlawful sexual relations between close relatives”
Modern English
English
incest
“sexual relations between close relatives”
Explore more surprising origins