Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “un-” come from?

un- (Old English) comes 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.

un- (Old English): negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms...

Definitions

  1. negation or absence of: un-, non-; bad; forms...

Ancestry of “un-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicand-—
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “un-”

  • unknown
  • unusual
  • uncertainty
  • unexpected
  • unconscious
  • unfortunate
  • uncertain
  • unhappy
  • unnecessary
  • uncomfortable
  • unemployment
  • unfortunately
  • unwilling
  • uncommon
  • unjust
  • uneasy
  • unstable
  • unreasonable
  • unusually
  • unaware
  • unlimited
  • unsuccessful
  • unconsciously
  • unfamiliar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →