Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unsavoury” come from?

Unsavoury comes from English savoury, which derives from Latin unus meaning "one," ultimately traced through Proto-Indo-European óynos and related roots.

unsavoury (English): Alternative spelling of unsavory

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of unsavory

Ancestry of “unsavoury”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishUn-—
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 “unsavoury”

  • unsavouriness
  • unsavourily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne →