Where does “unenforceable” come from?
Unenforceable derives from English enforce, which comes from Latin in- (prefix meaning "in") combined with Latin fors (meaning "strength" or "force"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ- meaning "to grow" or "strengthen."
unenforceable (English): Resistant to enforcement
Definitions
- Resistant to enforcement
Ancestry of “unenforceable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | enforceable | Capable of being enforced |
| 2 | English | enforce | To keep up, impose or bring into effect... |
| 3 | Middle English | enforcen | — |
| 4 | Old French | enforcier | to fortify; to strengthen; to strengthen; to... |
| 5 | Franco-Provençal | forciér | to force |
| 6 | Latin | fortio | I force |
| 7 | Late Latin | fortia | nominative neuter plural of fortis; accusative... |
| 8 | Latin | fortis | strong, powerful; firm, resolute, steadfast,... |
| 9 | Old Latin | forctis | strong |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | forktis | strong, robust |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰerǵʰ- | to rise; high, lofty; hill, mountain |