Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unknowing” come from?

Unknowing derives from English know, which traces through Proto-Indo-European óynos and ano- to the root ǵneh₃-, meaning to know or recognize.

unknowing (English): Without knowing; ignorant; Unknown, unbeknownst;...

Definitions

  1. Without knowing; ignorant; Unknown, unbeknownst;...

Ancestry of “unknowing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknowingPossessing knowledge or understanding;...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūn—
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “unknowing”

  • unknowingly
  • unknowingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →