Where does “unexpected” come from?

Unexpected derives from English expect, which comes from Latin exspectāre, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning "to be in front of" or "to face."

unexpected (English): Not expected, anticipated or foreseen

Definitions

  1. Not expected, anticipated or foreseen

Ancestry of “unexpected”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishUn-not
2Middle Englishun-
3Old Englishun-negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms...
4Proto-West Germanicun-not, un-
5Proto-Germanicun-not, un-
6Proto-Indo-Europeann̥-not, un-
7Proto-Indo-Europeannenot

Words derived from “unexpected

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne
unexpected — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer