Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unwelcome” come from?

Unwelcome derives from English welcome, which combines Old English un- (not) with welcome from Latin unus (one) and Proto-Indo-European óynos and gʷem- (to come).

unwelcome (English): Not welcome; To treat as unwelcome

Definitions

  1. Not welcome; To treat as unwelcome

Ancestry of “unwelcome”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwelcomeWhose arrival is a cause of joy; received with...
2Middle Englishwelcome—
3Old Englishwilcumawelcome
4Proto-Germanicwiljakumôwelcome; welcome!
5Proto-Germanicwiljanąto want
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwélyoyt—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwélyeti—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₁-to choose; to want

Words derived from “unwelcome”

  • unwelcomeness
  • unwelcomely
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welh₁- →