Where does “unknottable” come from?
unknottable (English) comes from English unknot, from English Un-, from English still, from Old English stillan, from Proto-West Germanic stillijan, from Proto-West Germanic -jan, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
unknottable (English): Not knottable; in which a knot cannot be tied
Definitions
- Not knottable; in which a knot cannot be tied
Ancestry of “unknottable”, step by step
unknottable traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English unknot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unknot | In knot theory, a loop that is not knotted; To... |
| 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 |
via English knottable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knottable | Capable of being knotted, or tied in a knot |
| 2 | English | able | Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to |
| 3 | Middle English | able | capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent |
| 4 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 5 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 6 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English un
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | un | One |