Where does “uneven” come from?
uneven (Middle English) comes from Old English unefen, from Old English un-, from Proto-Germanic and-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.
Ancestry of “uneven”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | unefen | unequal, unlike, dissimilar, diverse, irregular |
| 2 | Old English | un- | negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | and- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |