Where does “unduly” come from?
Unduly comes from English undue, from Latin unus meaning one, tracing to Proto-Indo-European óynos, with the adverbial suffix from Latin -inus.
unduly (English): Undeservedly; in a way that is not warranted
Definitions
- Undeservedly; in a way that is not warranted
Ancestry of “unduly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | duly | In a due, fit, or becoming manner; as it ought to... |
| 2 | Middle English | duely | suitably, fittingly; duly, properly; lawfully,... |
| 3 | Middle English | dewe | Alternative form of dew; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old French | deü | Alternative form of deu |
| 5 | Latin | dēbēre | — |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |