Where does “unburnt” come from?
Unburnt is an English formation combining the prefix un- with burnt, the past participle of burn, which derives from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- meaning to carry or bear.
unburnt (English): Not burnt or burned
Definitions
- Not burnt or burned
Ancestry of “unburnt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | burnt | simple past tense and past participle of burn;... |
| 2 | English | burn | A physical injury caused by heat, cold,... |
| 3 | Middle English | bernen | To burn |
| 4 | Old English | birnan | Alternative form of biernan; to burn |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brinnan | to burn, to be on fire |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brinnaną | to burn, to be on fire |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |