Where does “unsowable” come from?
unsowable (English) comes from English sowable, from English able, from Middle English able, from Old French able, from Latin habilis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
unsowable (English): Incapable of being sowed
Definitions
- Incapable of being sowed
Ancestry of “unsowable”, step by step
unsowable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sowable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sowable | Capable of being sowed |
| 2 | English | able | Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to |
| 3 | Middle English | able | capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent |
| 4 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 5 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 6 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English un
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | un | One |