Where does “uncivilised” come from?
Uncivilised derives from English un- plus civilised, with the negative prefix un- traceable through Proto-Indo-European ne and h₂ent-, roots expressing negation and non-being.
uncivilised (English): alternative spelling of uncivilized
Definitions
- alternative spelling of uncivilized
Ancestry of “uncivilised”, 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 |