From Latin 'nec-' (not) + 'legere' (to gather) — literally failing to pick up what lies at one's feet.
To fail to care for properly; to give insufficient attention to something that requires it; to leave undone through carelessness.
From Latin 'neglectus,' past participle of 'neglegere' (also 'negligere'), meaning 'to disregard, to not heed,' composed of 'nec-' (not) and 'legere' (to gather, choose, read). The literal sense is 'to not gather up' or 'to not pick up' — to leave something lying where it fell rather than collecting it. This powerfully physical metaphor underlies all senses of 'neglect': the neglectful person is one who walks
The garment called a 'negligee' comes from the same Latin root as 'neglect.' French 'négligée' literally means 'neglected' — a woman's dressing gown was so called because it was the garment of deliberate neglect, worn when one was not bothering with formal dress. To wear a negligee was to perform a socially permitted