Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unminable” come from?

unminable (English) comes from English minable, from English Mine, from French mine, from Breton min, from Italian mina, from Latin mina, from Gaulish mēnā, from Proto-Celtic *meinis — to cut, hew.

unminable (English): Not minable

Definitions

  1. Not minable

Ancestry of “unminable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishminableAble to be mined; Worth mining
2EnglishMineAlternative letter-case form of mine "often used...
3Frenchminemine; pencil lead; piledriver, scorcher
4Bretonminface of an animal; beak, muzzle
5Italianminamine, land mine; lead in pencils; mine which...
6LatinminaA Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek...
7Gaulishmēnāore, mine
8Proto-Celtic*meinis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy(H)nis—
10Proto-Indo-European(s)mēy(H)-to cut, hew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mēy(H)- →