Where does “ungainable” come from?
ungainable (English) comes from English gainable, from English gain, from Middle French gain, from Old French gaaing, from Old French gaaignier, from Vulgar Latin *wadaniāre, from English unspecified, from English Un- — not.
ungainable (English): Not gainable
Definitions
- Not gainable
Ancestry of “ungainable”, step by step
ungainable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gainable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gainable | Capable of being gained (in any sense), obtained, or reached |
| 2 | English | gain | To acquire possession of; To have or receive... |
| 3 | Middle French | gain | income |
| 4 | Old French | gaaing | gain |
| 5 | Old French | gaaignier | Alternative form of gaigner; to earn, gain,... |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | *wadaniāre | — |
| 7 | English | unspecified | Not specified; not thoroughly explained or... |
| 8 | English | Un- | not |
| 9 | Middle English | un- | — |
| 10 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |
via English un
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | un | One |