Where does “uncharacteristic” come from?
Uncharacteristic derives from English characteristic, from Ancient Greek χαρακτηριστικός, from Ancient Greek χαρακτηρίζω, from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ meaning an engraved mark or stamp, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning to be or exist.
uncharacteristic (English): Not characteristic; Out of character; behavior...
Definitions
- Not characteristic; Out of character; behavior...
Ancestry of “uncharacteristic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | characteristic | Being a distinguishing feature of a person or... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | χαρακτηριστικός | characteristic |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | χαρακτηρίζω | to designate by a characteristic mark |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ίζω | Used to form verbs from nouns, adjectives and... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | -íďďō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -idyéti | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |