Where does “unforgiving” come from?
Unforgiving derives from English forgive, which traces through Proto-Indo-European óynos, ano-, ne, and bʰuH-, ultimately from a root meaning "to become" or "to be."
unforgiving (English): Unwilling or unable to forgive or show mercy;...
Definitions
- Unwilling or unable to forgive or show mercy;...
Ancestry of “unforgiving”, step by step
unforgiving traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English forgiving
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | forgiving | Inclined to forgive; User-friendly, such that... |
| 2 | English | forgive | To pardon; to waive any negative feeling or... |
| 3 | Middle English | foryiven | to forgive |
| 4 | Old English | forġiefan | to give up, bestow; to forgive, give up, provide |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fragebaną | to give, grant; to forgive |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English unforgive
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unforgive | To revoke or rescind forgiveness of |
| 2 | English | Un- | not |
| 3 | English | still | Not moving; calm; Not effervescing; not... |
| 4 | Old English | stillan | become calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | stillijan | to make still, quiet |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -jan | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |