Where does “ungainly” come from?
Ungainly comes from English un- plus gainly, which derives from Old Norse gegn meaning "suitable," ultimately tracing through Proto-Indo-European roots expressing negation and unity.
ungainly (English): Clumsy; lacking grace; Difficult to move or to...
Definitions
- Clumsy; lacking grace; Difficult to move or to...
Ancestry of “ungainly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gainly | Suitably; fitly; conveniently; readily;... |
| 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 |