Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unblackmailable” come from?

unblackmailable (English) comes from English blackmailable, from English blackmail, from English mail, from Middle English mal, from Old English māl, from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic mēlą, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

unblackmailable (English): Not blackmailable

Definitions

  1. Not blackmailable

Ancestry of “unblackmailable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishblackmailableWho can be blackmailed
2EnglishblackmailThe extortion of money by threats of public...
3EnglishmailA bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be...
4Middle Englishmal—
5Old Englishmālspeech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,...
6Old Norsemállanguage; speech; matter, affair
7Proto-Germanicmēląmeasure, measurement; time, occasion; point in...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →