Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unstrong” come from?

unstrong (English) comes from English strong, from Middle English strong, from Old English strang, from Proto-West Germanic strang, from Proto-Germanic strangaz, from Proto-Indo-European strengʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ster- — sterile, infertile.

unstrong (English): Not strong; weak

Definitions

  1. Not strong; weak

Ancestry of “unstrong”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstrongCapable of producing great physical force;...
2Middle Englishstrongstrong; Alternative form of straunge
3Old Englishstrangstrong
4Proto-West Germanicstrangsevere, strict, rigorous; strong
5Proto-Germanicstrangaztight, strict, straight; strong
6Proto-Indo-Europeanstrengʰ-to twist; rope, cord
7Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →