Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unfree” come from?

Unfree comes from English free, from Latin unus meaning "one," tracing back through Proto-Indo-European óynos, ano-, prēy-, ne, and h₂ent-.

unfree (English): Not free; especially of a tenant who was bound to...

Definitions

  1. Not free; especially of a tenant who was bound to...

Ancestry of “unfree”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfreeUnconstrained; Obtainable without any payment;...
2Middle Englishfree—
3Old Englishfrēofree, joyful
4Proto-Germanic*frī—
5Proto-Germanicfrijazfree
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpriHósdear, beloved; happy, free
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanpreyH-to love, to please

Words derived from “unfree”

  • unfreely
  • unfreeness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European preyH- →