Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unsanitary” come from?

Unsanitary derives from English sanitary, which combines Latin unus (one) and the suffix -tās, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European óynos (one) and h₂ent- (being), expressing the sense of unified or whole condition.

unsanitary (English): Not sanitary; unhealthy; dirty

Definitions

  1. Not sanitary; unhealthy; dirty

Ancestry of “unsanitary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsanitaryOf, or relating to health; Clean and free from...
2Frenchsanitairesanitary; health
3Latinsānitās—
4Latin-tās—
5Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
6Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
7Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “unsanitary”

  • unsanitarily
  • unsanitariness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →