Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unwell” come from?

Unwell derives from English un- plus well, where well comes from Latin unus through Proto-Indo-European óynos and kʷel-, though the exact sense development remains unclear.

unwell (English): Not in good health; not feeling well; somewhat...

Definitions

  1. Not in good health; not feeling well; somewhat...

Ancestry of “unwell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishUn-—
2EnglishstillNot moving; calm; Not effervescing; not...
3Old Englishstillanbecome calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,...
4Proto-West Germanicstillijanto make still, quiet
5Proto-West Germanic-janCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
6Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
9Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “unwell”

  • unwellness
Every word from Chichewa iye →