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 un- + complicate.

From un- + complicated.

From un- + compromising.

From un- + computable.

From un- + concern, around 1660–1670.

From un- + concerned.

From un- + conditional.

unconditionally

From unconditional + -ly.

From un- + conditioned.

From un- + confirmed.

From un- + conformity.

From un- + connected.

From un- + conscionable ("in line with conscience"), itself from conscience.

From un- + conscious.

From un- + consciously.

unconsciousness

From unconscious + -ness.

From un- + conspicuous.

unconstitutional

From un- + constitutional.

Formed from un- + controllable — it simply denies that something can be brought under control.

The adverb form of uncontrollable, built with the usual -ly ending.

From un- + controlled.

From un- + conventional, from Latin conventio (\"agreement, gathering\") via convention.

From un- + convince.

From un- + convinced.

From un- + cool, in the informal sense of "fashionable."

From un- + cooperative.

From Middle English uncountit; equivalent to un- + counted.

uncounterfeited

From un- + counterfeited.

From Middle English uncouple; equivalent to un- + couple.

From Old English uncūþ, "unknown" — literally un- + couth (once meaning "known" or "familiar"). It shifted from meaning "strange" to meaning "crude," since anything unfamiliar seemed rough or unrefined.

From Middle English uncoveren, from un- + cover.

From un- + covered.

From un- + create.

From Middle English uncredible, equivalent to un- + credible.

From un- + crying.

From un- + cuff, in the sense of "handcuff."

From un- + cultivated.

From un- + cultured.

From un- 'not' plus cured, in the food sense of preserving with salt, smoke or nitrates.

From un- + curl.

From Middle English uncutte, from un- + cut.

From un- + damaged.

From un- + daunt + -able.

From Middle English undauntid, from un- + daunted (from Old French danter, "to tame").

From undaunted + -ness.

Middle English · 1400

From Middle English undede, un- + dead, first recorded around 1400. The word's spooky, supernatural sense was popularized by Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897).

From Middle English undedly, undeedly, undedlich, from Old English undēadlīc (“immortal, for all eternity”), equivalent to undead + -ly.

From un- + decided.