Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unharmful” come from?

unharmful (English) comes from English harmful, from English harm, from Middle English harm, from Old English hearm, from Proto-West Germanic harm, from Proto-Germanic harmaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱormo- — suffering, pain.

unharmful (English): Not harmful

Definitions

  1. Not harmful

Ancestry of “unharmful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishharmfulof a kind likely to be damaging; injurious
2Englishharmphysical injury; hurt; damage; emotional or...
3Middle Englishharm—
4Old Englishhearmharm
5Proto-West Germanicharmpainful; pain, harm
6Proto-Germanicharmazpainful; sorrowful; doleful; harmful; malicious;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱormo-suffering, pain

Words derived from “unharmful”

  • unharmfully
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱormo- →