Where does “unprotected” come from?

Unprotected derives from English protected, which comes from Latin protēctus, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning "to be in front" through the negative prefix ne-.

unprotected (English): Not protected; lacking defence or protection;...

Definitions

  1. Not protected; lacking defence or protection;...

Ancestry of “unprotected”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishUn-not
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 “unprotected”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne →Every word from English Un- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European n̥- →
unprotected — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer