Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unpickable” come from?

unpickable (English) comes from English pickable, from English pick, from Middle English piken, from Middle English pyke, from Old English pīc, from Proto-Germanic *pīk, from Latin pix, from Proto-Indo-European pik- — sap, juice.

unpickable (English): That cannot be picked

Definitions

  1. That cannot be picked

Ancestry of “unpickable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpickableAble to be picked
2EnglishpickA tool used for digging; a pickaxe; A tool for...
3Middle EnglishpikenTo pick at; to use a edged tool on; To pierce or...
4Middle EnglishpykeA sharp round point or projection; A point or end...
5Old Englishpīcpointed object, pick axe
6Proto-Germanic*pīk—
7Latinpixpitch, tar
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpik-to be angry; pitch; resin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpi-sap, juice
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pi- →