Where does “unlearn” come from?
Unlearn is derived from English learn with the prefix un-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning "being" or "entity."
unlearn (English): To discard the knowledge of; To break a habit
Definitions
- To discard the knowledge of; To break a habit
Ancestry of “unlearn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | un- | not; absent; lacking; not; negative; contrary to... |
| 2 | Middle English | un- | — |
| 3 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |