Where does “unoccupied” come from?

Unoccupied derives from English occupy (from Latin occupāre) combined with the prefix un-, which traces back through Proto-Indo-European ne meaning "not."

unoccupied (English): Not inhabited, especially by a tenant; Not being...

Definitions

  1. Not inhabited, especially by a tenant; Not being...

Ancestry of “unoccupied”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishun-not; absent; lacking; not; negative; contrary to...
2Middle Englishun-—
3Old Englishun-negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms...
4Proto-West Germanicun-not, un-
5Proto-Germanicun-not, un-
6Proto-Indo-Europeann̥-not, un-
7Proto-Indo-Europeannenot

Words derived from “unoccupied”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne →Every word from Proto-Indo-European n̥- →Every word from English un- →