Where does “unability” come from?
unability (English) comes from English ability, from Middle English abilite, from Old French ableté, from Latin habilitās, from Latin habilis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
unability (English): Lack of ability; inability
Definitions
- Lack of ability; inability
Ancestry of “unability”, step by step
unability traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ability
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ability | Suitableness; The quality or state of being able;... |
| 2 | Middle English | abilite | suitability, aptitude, ability |
| 3 | Old French | ableté | — |
| 4 | Latin | habilitās | ability, aptitude, fitness |
| 5 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 6 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English un
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | un | One |