Where does “unbelievably” come from?
Unbelievably derives from English unbelievable, which combines English un- with believable, ultimately tracing through Latin unus and Proto-Indo-European óynos and ano- to the negation ne.
unbelievably (English): In a manner that one does not or cannot believe;...
Definitions
- In a manner that one does not or cannot believe;...
Ancestry of “unbelievably”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unbelievable | Not to be believed; Incredible; so surprising it... |
| 2 | English | Un- | not |
| 3 | English | still | Not moving; calm; Not effervescing; not... |
| 4 | Old English | stillan | become calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | stillijan | to make still, quiet |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -jan | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |