Where does “unprincipled” come from?
Unprincipled derives from English principle, which comes from Latin principium, originally meaning "one who takes first" from capio, "to take."
unprincipled (English): lacking moral values
Definitions
- lacking moral values
Ancestry of “unprincipled”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | principled | Based on, having or manifesting principles;... |
| 2 | English | principle | A fundamental assumption or guiding belief; A... |
| 3 | Latin | prīncipium | a beginning, an origin, a commencement |
| 4 | Latin | prīnceps | first, foremost |
| 5 | Latin | primoceps | — |
| 6 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |