Where does “unknowingly” come from?
Unknowingly derives from English unknowing, itself from English know, which traces to Proto-Indo-European óynos and ultimately to the negative particle ne.
unknowingly (English): Without awareness, without intent
Definitions
- Without awareness, without intent
Ancestry of “unknowingly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unknowing | Without knowing; ignorant; Unknown, unbeknownst;... |
| 2 | English | knowing | Possessing knowledge or understanding;... |
| 3 | English | -ing | Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,... |
| 4 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 5 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 6 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 9 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |