English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

"U" Word Origins

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

“U” Word Origins

From Middle English unfredom, equivalent to un- + freedom.

From un- + freeze.

From un- (not) + frequent.

From Middle English unfreend, onfrend, equivalent to un- (noun/adjective prefix) + friend. Cognate with Scots unfrend (“unfriend”). Compare Old English unfriþmann, unwine.

From unfriendly + -ness. Compare Dutch onvriendelijkheid, German Unfreundlichkeit.

From Old English *unfrēondlīċ, equivalent to un- + friendly.

From un- + friendship.

From un- + fulfilled.

From un- + functional.

From un- + furnish.

Existing in the original sense of “unequipped, unprepared” since 1541, with the later sense of “lacking furniture” attested since 1581: from un- (“not”) + furnished, past participle of furnish (“supply, equip (especially with furniture)”).

From un- (“not”) + gainly (“graceful; becoming; proper, suitable; gracious, kindly”) (from gain (“dexterous; convenient, easy, handy; suitable”), from Old Norse gegn (“fit, serviceable; direct, straight; honest; kindly”) + -ly (suffix forming adjectives from nouns)). Compare dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk ugjegnleg (“stubborn; troublesome”).

From un- + generate.

From un- + get; compare unbeget, Middle English ungeten (“unbegotten; not won; not captured”).

An imitative (onomatopoeic) sound, mimicking a grunt of exertion.

From Old English godlīċ ("godlike"), with un- added — the informal "extreme/outrageous" sense developed later in English.

From un- + grateful.

From Middle English ungroundid, ungronded, ungrundid, ungrounded; equivalent to un- + grounded.

From un- + guarded.

Borrowed from Latin unguentum (“ointment”), from unguō (“to smear with ointment”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- (“to salve, anoint”). Cognates include Old Prussian anctan, Old High German ancho (German Anke (“butter”)), Welsh ymenyn (“butter”).

From un- + guilt.

From un- + habitable.

From un- + hallow.

From Middle English unhalowyd; equivalent to un- + hallowed.

From un- + hand.

From un- + happen + -able.

From Middle English unhappily, equivalent to un- + happily.

From unhappy + -ness.

From Middle English unhappy, equivalent to un- + happy.

From un- + harmed.

From un- + hat.

From un- + healthful.

From un- + healthy.

From Old English unġehīered ("unheard"), equivalent to un- + heard.

From un- + heed.

From un- + heinous.

From un- + helpful.

From un- + hesitating.

From un- + hex.

From un- + hinge.

From unhinge + -ed — literally "taken off its hinges," extended figuratively to mean mentally unstable.

From un- + hip.

From un- + hitch.

From un- + hoard.

From un- + holiday.

From Old English unhāliġ, from un- + holy.

From un- + honour.

From un- + hook.