Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unwrittenness” come from?

unwrittenness (English) comes from English unwritten, from Middle English unwriten, from Old English unwriten, from Old English un-, from Proto-Germanic and-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- — on, onto.

unwrittenness (English): The quality of being unwritten

Definitions

  1. The quality of being unwritten

Ancestry of “unwrittenness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunwrittenNot written; Oral or otherwise communicated...
2Middle Englishunwriten—
3Old Englishunwriten—
4Old Englishun-negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms...
5Proto-Germanicand-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →