Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unearnable” come from?

unearnable (English) comes from English earnable, from English able, from Middle English able, from Old French able, from Latin habilis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

unearnable (English): That cannot be earned

Definitions

  1. That cannot be earned

Ancestry of “unearnable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishearnableCapable of being earned
2EnglishableEasy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to
3Middle Englishable—
4Old Frenchableable; capable
5Latinhabilisable to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient...
6Latin-ilis-ile
7Proto-Italic-elis—
8Proto-Indo-European-elis—
9Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →