Where does “undone” come from?
Undone derives from English done, itself from English do, which traces through Italian ditto and Proto-Indo-European ano- and dʰeh₁-, ultimately meaning to place or put.
undone (English): Not done; Not fastened; Ruined; brought to nought
Definitions
- Not done; Not fastened; Ruined; brought to nought
Ancestry of “undone”, step by step
undone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English done
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | done | Ready, fully cooked; Having completed or finished... |
| 2 | Middle English | don | To do, perform; To complete, finish; To make,... |
| 3 | Old English | dōn | to do |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | dōn | to do; to put, to place |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | dōną | to do, make; to put, place |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéh₁t | to put, to place; to do |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁- | to do, put, place |