Where does “unbidden” come from?
Unbidden derives from English bid, which traces through Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- meaning to force or compel, ultimately rooted in Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning to go.
unbidden (English): not invited, requested or asked for
Definitions
- not invited, requested or asked for
Ancestry of “unbidden”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Un- | — |
| 2 | English | still | Not moving; calm; Not effervescing; not... |
| 3 | Old English | stillan | become calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | stillijan | to make still, quiet |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -jan | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
Words derived from “unbidden”