Where does “unsearchable” come from?
Unsearchable derives from Middle English unserchable, formed from the Middle English prefix un- combined with Old French -able, itself from Latin -abilis, ultimately tracing to Latin circus and Proto-Indo-European ano- and (s)ker-.
unsearchable (English): That cannot be investigated or searched into;...
Definitions
- That cannot be investigated or searched into;...
Ancestry of “unsearchable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | unserchable | Unknowable, impossible to know; Hard to search in |
| 2 | Middle English | serchen | To search, to try to find; to scour; To research;... |
| 3 | Old French | cerchier | to search; to seek; to look for |
| 4 | Latin | circō | to traverse, go about |
| 5 | Latin | circā | — |
| 6 | Latin | circum | about, around; in a circle, all around, on both... |
| 7 | Latin | circus | a circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | κρίκος | ring |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |