nocere

Nocere is a Latin verb meaning to harm or injure. It appears in classical Latin texts to describe causing harm or disadvantage to a person or thing, and it remains a standard example when teaching Latin verbs that express harmful action.

Grammatical usage and forms are characteristic of Latin verbs. Nocere is transitive and typically governs the person harmed in the dative case, rather than using a direct object. In conjugation, the present indicative forms include noceo, noces, nocet, nocemus, nocetis, nocent. The verb is often cited in its infinitive form nocere, and it has perfect and future forms such as nocui (I harmed), nocuisti, nocuit, and nocebo (I shall harm), among others. The exact endings vary with tense and mood, as with other Latin verbs.

Etymology and related terms connect nocere to the broader Latin vocabulary for injury and wrongdoing. The noun noc- or noxa in Latin names the concept of harm or injury, and the verb has given rise to several terms in modern languages. A notable English derivative is nocebo, formed from the Latin first-person future nocebo, meaning “I shall harm.” Nocebo is used in medicine and psychology to describe harmful effects arising from negative expectations or beliefs, in contrast to placebo.

In scholarly and educational contexts, nocere appears in discussions of Latin syntax, semantics, and verb conjugation, as well as in translated passages where harm or injury is described. Its sense remains straightforward: to cause harm, injure, or bring about adverse effects.