Where does “uncertain” come from?
Uncertain derives from English certain, which comes from Latin certus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ano-, meaning "to grow" or "increase," via Latin cresco.
uncertain (English): Not certain; unsure; Not known for certain;...
Definitions
- Not certain; unsure; Not known for certain;...
Ancestry of “uncertain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | un- | not; absent; lacking; not; negative; contrary to... |
| 2 | Middle English | un- | — |
| 3 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |
Words derived from “uncertain”