Where does “unwritten” come from?
Unwritten comes from Middle English unwriten, from Old English unwriten, a compound of un- and writen meaning not written.
unwritten (English): Not written; Oral or otherwise communicated...
Definitions
- Not written; Oral or otherwise communicated...
Ancestry of “unwritten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | unwriten | — |
| 2 | Old English | unwriten | — |
| 3 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | and- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
Words derived from “unwritten”