Where does “unmarried” come from?
Unmarried derives from English un- plus married, which comes from Latin marītus, itself from Latin mas meaning "male" and Latin unus meaning "one."
unmarried (English): Having no husband or wife; An unmarried person
Definitions
- Having no husband or wife; An unmarried person
Ancestry of “unmarried”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | married | In a state of marriage; having a wife or a... |
| 2 | Middle English | maried | — |
| 3 | Middle English | marien | to marry |
| 4 | Old French | marier | to marry; to get married |
| 5 | Latin | marītō | to marry, wed |
| 6 | Latin | marītus | marital, matrimonial, conjugal |
| 7 | Latin | mās | male |
| 8 | Proto-Nuristani | *māsa | moon |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | mā́Has | moon; month |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mḗh₁n̥s | moon; month |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₁- | to measure |