Where does “unpredictable” come from?
Unpredictable derives from English predict, from Latin dicere meaning "to say," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ- meaning "to show or point," with the prefix un- negating the sense.
unpredictable (English): Unable to be predicted; An unpredictable thing
Definitions
- Unable to be predicted; An unpredictable thing
Ancestry of “unpredictable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | predictable | Able to be predicted |
| 2 | English | predict | To make a prediction: to forecast, foretell, or... |
| 3 | French | prédire | to predict, foretell |
| 4 | Italian | predicare | to preach |
| 5 | Spanish | predicar | to preach |
| 6 | Latin | praedicō | to proclaim, declare publicly |
| 7 | Latin | dīcō | to say, talk, speak, utter, mention |
| 8 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 9 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 10 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 11 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 12 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 13 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 14 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 15 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |