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English word origin

Etymology of -cest

Rebracketing of incest.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

A suffix combined with a noun or surname to create a word for incest or an inappropriate relationship involving the referent(s). · A suffix for relationships between participants in the same (usually close-knit) activity (see castcest, classcest, clubcest, coursecest, friendcest, teamcest, workcest) or residents of the same complex (see dormcest, floorcest, hallcest, housecest).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Rebracketing of incest.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "incest",
        "id": "incest"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "rebracketing",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "incest"
      },
      "expansion": "Rebracketing of incest"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "incest",
        "id": "incest"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "incest",
      "incest#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A suffix combined with a noun or surname to create a word for incest or an inappropriate relationship involving the referent(s).",
        "A suffix for relationships between participants in the same (usually close-knit) activity (see castcest, classcest, clubcest, coursecest, friendcest, teamcest, workcest) or residents of the same complex (see dormcest, floorcest, hallcest, housecest)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable",
        "humorous"
      ],
      "recordId": "a90fc63bbe2e3512212b3516f120b76a44d4686f26d19de31eb4c19502ea8824",
      "rawRecordSha256": "08321295df80eed1514edcf7b4f7748be19a7c6afe4ca271072ac35c08f65ef4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 9080905
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -cest →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWNlc3Q