Etymology dictionary

unmoor (v.) — unrelated (adj.)

unmoor (v.)

late 15c., "to free from moorings," from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + moor (v.). Related: Unmoored.

unmotivated (adj.)

"lacking in motivation," by 1905, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of motivate. Meaning "lacking in motive" is attested from 1871. Unmotived is from 1794.

unmounted (adj.)

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of mount (v.).

unmoved (adj.)

late 14c., "not affected by emotion or excitement," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of move (v.). Meaning "fixed in position" is from mid-15c.

unmovable (adj.)

late 14c., from un- (1) "not" + movable (adj.).

unmuzzled (adj.)

c. 1600, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of muzzle (v.), or past participle of unmuzzle (v.), which is attested from c. 1600.

unnamed (adj.)

c. 1500, "not mentioned by name." from un- (1) "not" + past participle of name (v.). Similar formation in Old Frisian unnamed, Middle Dutch ongenaemt.

early 15c., "not in accord with physical nature," from un- (1) "not" + natural (adj.). Meaning "artificial" is attested from 1746; that of "at variance with moral standards" is from 1520s. Related: Unnaturally; unnaturalness.

unnecessary (adj.)

1540s, from un- (1) "not" + necessary (adj.). Related: Unnecessarily.

unneeded (adj.)

1725, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of need (v.).

unnerve (v.)

1620s, "to destroy the strength of," from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + nerve (v.). Meaning "to deprive of courage" is recorded from 1704. Related: Unnerved; unnerving.

unnoticed (adj.)

1720, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of notice (v.).

unnumbered (adj.)

late 14c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of number (v.).

unobjectionable (adj.)

1793, from un- (1) "not" + objectionable (adj.).

unobserved (adj.)

1610s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of observe (v.).

unobservant (adj.)

1660s, from un- (1) "not" + observant (adj.).

unobstructed (adj.)

1650s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of obstruct (v.).

unobtainable (adj.)

1775, from un- (1) "not" + obtainable (adj.). Related: Unobtainability.

unobtrusive (adj.)

from un- (1) + obtrusive (adj.). Related: Unobtrusively; unobtrusiveness.

unoccupied (adj.)

late 14c., "idle," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of occupy (v.). In reference to ground, etc., "not possessed, not made use of," from early 15c.

unoffending (adj.)

1560s, from un- (1) "not" + present participle of offend (v.).

unofficial (adj.)

1798, from un- (1) "not" + official (adj.). Related: Unofficially.

unopposed (adj.)

1650s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of oppose (v.).

unorganized (adj.)

1680s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of organize (v.).

unoriginal (adj.)

1660s, "uncreated, without an origin," from un- (1) "not" + original (adj.). Meaning "derivative, second-hand" is recorded from 1774. Related: Unoriginality.

unorthodox (adj.)

1650s, from un- (1) "not" + orthodox (adj.).

unorthodoxy (n.)

1704, from unorthodox + -y (4).

unostentatious (adj.)

1747, from un- (1) "not" + ostentatious (adj.). Related: Unostentatiously.

unowned (adj.)

1610s, "unpossessed," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of own (v.). From 1715 as "unacknowledged."

unpack (v.)

late 15c., from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + pack (v.). Similar formation in Dutch ontpakken. Related: Unpacked; unpacking.

unpaid (adj.)

late 14c., in reference to persons, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of pay (v.). Of debts, attested from late 15c.

unpalatable (adj.)

1680s, from un- (1) "not" + palatable (adj.). Related: Unpalatably.

unparalleled (adj.)

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of parallel (v.). Unparallel as an adjective is recorded from 1650s.

unpardonable (adj.)

1520s, from un- (1) "not" + pardonable (adj.). Related: Unpardonably. Impardonable also is from 1520s.

unpatriotic (adj.)

1775, from un- (1) "not" + patriotic.

unpaved (adj.)

1530s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of pave (v.).

unpenetrable (adj.)

c. 1400, from un- (1) "not" + penetrable (adj.). The usual word now is impenetrable.

unperceived (adj.)

mid-14c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of perceive (v.).

unpersuasive (adj.)

1748, from un- (1) "not" + persuasive (adj.). Related: Unpersuasively.

unperturbed (adj.)

early 15c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of perturb (v.).

unplace (v.)

from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + place (v.). Related: Unplaced; unplacing.

unplanned (adj.)

by 1804, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of plan (v.).

unpleasantness (n.)

1540s, "state or quality of being unpleasant," from unpleasant + -ness. By 1835 as "a slight quarrel, a minor misunderstanding." The late unpleasantness as a humorously polite Southern description of the American Civil War is attested from 1868.

unpleasant (adj.)

1530s, from un- (1) "not" + pleasant (adj.). Related: Unpleasantly.

unplug (v.)

1775, from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + plug (v.). Related: Unplugged; unplugging.

unpolished (adj.)

late 14c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of polish (v.). In reference to style, language, etc., attested from late 15c. Less common impolished is attested from 1580s.

unpolluted (adj.)

c. 1600, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of pollute (v.).

unpopular (adj.)

1640s, from un- (1) "not" + popular (adj.). Related: Unpopularly. Less common impopular is attested from 1721.

unpopularity (n.)

1735, from un- (1) "not" + popularity (n.).

unpracticed (adj.)

also unpractised, 1550s, "unexpert," of persons, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of practice (v.). From 1530s as "not done, untried."

unprecedented (adj.)

1620s, from un- (1) "not" + precedented. In common use from c. 1760.

unpredictable (adj.)

1840, from un- (1) "not" + predictable (adj.). Related: Unpredictably; unpredictability.

unprejudiced (adj.)

1610s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of prejudice (v.).

unpremeditated (adj.)

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of premeditate (v.).

unprepared (adj.)

1540s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of prepare (v.).

unprepossessing (adj.)

1816, from un- (1) "not" + prepossessing (adj.).

unpresentable (adj.)

1828, from un- (1) "not" + presentable (adj.).

unpretentious (adj.)

1859, from un- (1) "not" + pretentious (adj.). Related: Unpretentiously; unpretentiousness.

unpreventable (adj.)

1610s, from un- (1) "not" + preventable (adj.).

unprincipled (adj.)

1630s, "not instructed" (in something), from un- (1) "not" + principled (adj.). Meaning "not honorable" is recorded from 1640s.

unproductive (adj.)

"not productive, barren, not making some specified effect or result," by 1690s, from un- (1) "not" + productive (adj.). Related: Unproductively; unproductiveness.

unprofessional (adj.)

1806, from un- (1) "not" + professional (adj.).

unprofitable (adj.)

early 14c., from un- (1) "not" + profitable (adj.). Related: Unprofitably.

unpromising (adj.)

1660s, from un- (1) "not" + promising (adj.).

unprompted (adj.)

from un- (1) "not" + past participle of prompt (v.).

unpronounceable (adj.)

1831, from un- (1) "not" + pronounceable (adj.).

unpropitious (adj.)

c. 1600 (implied in unpropitiously), from un- (1) "not" + propitious (adj.).

unprotected (adj.)

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of protect (v.).

unprovable (adj.)

early 15c., from un- (1) "not" + provable (adj.).

unproved (adj.)

"not demonstrated to be true," 1530s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of prove (v.).

unprovoked (adj.)

1580s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of provoke (v.).

unpublished (adj.)

c. 1600, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of publish. In reference to an author, attested from 1934.

unpunctual (adj.)

1740, from un- (1) "not" + punctual (adj.).

unpunished (adj.)

mid-14c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of punish (v.).

unqualified (adj.)

1550s, "not having necessary qualifications, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of qualify (v.). Meaning "not modified or limited" is recorded from 1796. As a verb, unqualify "disqualify" is from 1650s.

unquantifiable (adj.)

1888, from un- + quantifiable (adj.). Related: Unquantifiably.

unquenchable (adj.)

late 14c., of fire; 1560s, of thirst, from un- (1) "not" + quench (v.) + -able. Related: Unquenchably.

unquestioned (adj.)

c. 1600, "not interrogated;" 1620s, "not to be opposed or disputed," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of question (v.).

unquestionable (adj.)

c. 1600, from un- (1) "not" + questionable (adj.). Related: Unquestionably. Questionless (adv.) was used in the sense of "without doubt, assuredly" from early 15c.

unquiet (adj.)

1520s, from un- (1) "not" + quiet (adj.).

unquote (v.)

1915, in telegraphs, where punctuation had to be spelled out and quote and unquote were used in place of the quotation marks; from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + quote (v.). Quote unquote spoken together as a verbal formula to indicate quotation of the word or phrase to follow (often with ironic intent) is attested by 1935.

unravel (v.)

c. 1600 (transitive), from un- (2) + ravel (v.). Intransitive from 1640s. "The prefix is either reversive or intensive, according as ravel is taken to mean 'tangle' or 'untangle'" [Century Dictionary]. Related: Unravelled; unravelling; unravellment.

unreachable (adj.)

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + reachable (see reach (v.)).

unreadable (adj.)

1787, of written material, "dull, distasteful," from un- (1) "not" + readable (adj.). Meaning "illegible" is from 1830, but is better left to illegible.

unread (adj.)

mid-15c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of read (v.).

unready (adj.)

mid-14c., "not prepared," from un- (1) "not" + ready (adj.).

In English history, applied from c. 1200 (Etheldredus Unrad) to Anglo-Saxon King Æðelræd II (968-1016), where it preserves Middle English unredi, a different adjective, from Old English ungeræd "ill-advised, rede-less, no-counsel" and plays on the king's name (which means "good-counsel"). Old English ræd "advice, counsel" is related to read (v.). Rede "counsel" survived in poetic usage to 17c. An attempted revival by Scott (19c.) failed, though it is used in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."