Where does “unlucky” come from?

Unlucky derives from English un- plus lucky, which comes from Latin unus meaning "one," from Proto-Indo-European óynos, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-.

unlucky (English): Unfortunate, marked by misfortune; Inauspicious;...

Definitions

  1. Unfortunate, marked by misfortune; Inauspicious;...

Ancestry of “unlucky”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishluckyFavoured by luck; fortunate; having good success...
2Middle Englishlukkylucky, fortunate
3Middle EnglishyAlternative form of I; Alternative form of in;...
4Old EnglishiċI
5Proto-West GermanicikI
6Proto-Germanic*ek—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I

Words derived from “unlucky”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic *ek →Every word from Proto-West Germanic ik →