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Trying to understand the subtle differences between the three words "nego", "ignoro", and "nescio". This question is not about the meanings in modern English, but the original meanings of the underlying Latin words.

Would this be correct?

nego: know but pretend the opposite ?
ignoro: should know but don't
nescio: could not know

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  • Unfortunately, what the words used to mean may not have any bearing on what they do mean now. See "nice", which used to be a negative word, and "awful", which used to be positive. Is your question specifically about the Latin meanings?
    – Draconis ♦
    Sep 27, 2018 at 16:27
  • I didn't know for "nice" and "awful", thanks for the information. Yes my question is specifically about the Latin meanings.
    – Ambroise Rabier
    Sep 27, 2018 at 20:53
  • @AmbroiseRabier As your question is specifically about the Latin meanings, I took the liberty to rephrase it to emphasize Latin. Feel free to make further edits if you see fit.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Sep 28, 2018 at 22:27
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    I would suggest rephrasing the question to ask something like, "What is the difference between nego, ignoro, and nescio?" As it stands, the question's premise is a little shaky (cf. etymological fallacy) and the glosses of the English words are problematic (e.g. "I deny any involvement" doesn't mean "I refuse to know that I was involved.").
    – brianpck
    Oct 1, 2018 at 14:12

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