Where does “unreliability” come from?
Unreliability derives from English reliable, which combines English un- and Latin -itas suffixed to Proto-Indo-European ano-, meaning "not" or "without."
unreliability (English): The quality of being unreliable
Definitions
- The quality of being unreliable
Ancestry of “unreliability”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | reliability | The quality of being reliable, dependable, or... |
| 2 | English | reliable | Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of... |
| 3 | English | rely | to trust; to have confidence in; to depend |
| 4 | Old French | relier | fasten, attach, rally, oblige |
| 5 | Latin | religō | to bind fast |
| 6 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 7 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 8 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |