Where does “unlike” come from?
Unlike derives from Middle English unlic, from Old English unlīċ meaning "not alike," from Proto-Germanic ungalīkaz, combining the negation prefix un- with a root from Proto-Indo-European ne and līg-.
unlike (English): Not like; dissimilar ; having no resemblance;...
Definitions
- Not like; dissimilar ; having no resemblance;...
Ancestry of “unlike”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | unlic | — |
| 2 | Old English | unlīċ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | ungalīkaz | dissimilar, different, unlike |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |
Words derived from “unlike”