Where does “unfastness” come from?
unfastness (English) comes from English unfast, from English fast, from Middle English fast, from Old English fæste, from Old English -e, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna- — adjectival suffix.
unfastness (English): Lack of closeness, as of fibre; porousness
Definitions
- Lack of closeness, as of fibre; porousness
Ancestry of “unfastness”, step by step
unfastness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English unfast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unfast | To loose; release; Not fast or safe; not secure |
| 2 | English | fast | Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable; Firm... |
| 3 | Middle English | fast | fast quickly |
| 4 | Old English | fæste | firmly, fastly, tightly |
| 5 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 6 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 7 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 8 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |