Where does “unattainable” come from?
Unattainable derives from English attain, from Anglo-Norman ataindre, from Latin attingo meaning to touch or reach, formed from the prefix ad- and the root meaning to touch.
unattainable (English): Impossible to attain or reach; unable to...
Definitions
- Impossible to attain or reach; unable to...
Ancestry of “unattainable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | attain | To gain; To reach or come to, by progression or... |
| 2 | Middle English | atteinen | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | ataindre | to reach |
| 4 | Latin | attingo | I come in contact with, touch; I assault; strike,... |
| 5 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |