Where does “unscrew” come from?
Unscrew is a verb formed in English from the prefix un- and the noun screw, with un- ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European ne and h₂ent-, expressing negation or reversal of the action of turning a screw.
unscrew (English): To loosen a screw or thing by turning it
Definitions
- To loosen a screw or thing by turning it
Ancestry of “unscrew”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Un- | not |
| 2 | English | still | Not moving; calm; Not effervescing; not... |
| 3 | Old English | stillan | become calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | stillijan | to make still, quiet |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -jan | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |