Where does “ill-defined” come from?

ill-defined (English) comes from English ill, from Middle English ille, from Old Norse íllr, from Proto-Germanic ilhilaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁elḱ-.

ill-defined (English): Poorly defined; blurry, out of focus; lacking a...

Definitions

  1. Poorly defined; blurry, out of focus; lacking a...

Ancestry of “ill-defined”, step by step

ill-defined traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ill

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishillEvil; wicked (of people)
2Middle Englishilleevil; wicked
3Old Norseíllrevil, bad
4Proto-Germanicilhilazbad, evil
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁elḱ-

via English defined

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdefinedHaving a definition or value; Having extreme...

Words derived from “ill-defined

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁elḱ-
ill-defined — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer