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un-

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un-1 not

Pronunciation

Forms

un-[1]

Etymology

The negative prefix is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *un-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, the form the negative particle Proto-Indo-European *né (“not”) takes in compounds.[1][2] It is found in all the Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌿𐌽- (un-), Old Frisian un-, Old Saxon un-, Old High German un-, and with the nasal lost Old Norse ó- or ú-.[2][3][4][5] The same prefix is Latin in-, Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) and Old Irish in-.[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Words with the prefix are recorded from the oldest glossary: the Épinal Glossary (late seventh or early eighth century) glosses Latin “nugacitas” “triviality” with unnytnis “uselessness”.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

The prefix was added freely to nouns, adjectives and adverbs and to participles (unlifigende “not living, dead”), but not, at first, to finite verbs.[8][9] Besides plain negation it gives a bad sense to nouns, as in undǣd, undōm and unlagu, and Bosworth and Toller list a few words where it may strengthen rather than negate.[10][11] It bore the main stress, as in únclǣne “impure”, though it is sometimes found unstressed, which Hogg takes as a sign that it could be put before any suitable word.[9][8]

The prefix stayed very productive in Middle English, mostly meaning simply “not”.[12] Etymonline counts more than 1,000 Old English words made with it.[13]

Timeline

  • s. vii ex. – unnytnis “uselessness” in the Épinal Glossary.[6][7]
  • s. ix¹ – unwis “unwise” in the Corpus Glossary.[14][15]
  • 890×897 – unryhtum bisenum “wrong examples” in the Pastoral Care.[16][15]

Meanings

Prefix

  1. not, un-, non-: negates nouns, adjectives, adverbs and participles.[10][1][2]
  2. bad, wrong: gives a pejorative sense to nouns (undǣd, unlagu).[10][1]
  3. perhaps intensive, in a few words such as unhār.[10]

Word family

  • unriht
  • unwīs
  • unclǣne
  • uncūþ
  • untrum
  • unscyldiġ
  • unrōt
  • undǣd
  • unlagu
  • unnyttnes

Descendants

  • Middle English un- (→ English un-; Scots un-)[1]

un-2 reversing a verb

Pronunciation

Forms

un-[1]

Etymology

The reversive prefix began as a form of on-, the unstressed prefix that continues Proto-Germanic *and- (“against”).[1][17] Its cognates are Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳- (and-), Old Frisian und-, Old Saxon ant- and Old High German ant- or int-, the source of German ent-.[1][17][18] In verbs such as onbindan (“unbind”) and onlūcan (“unlock”) the prefix was replaced at times by the negative prefix, which Campbell and Hogg ascribe to the productivity of that prefix.[8][9][19]

Earliest recorded meaning

Among the dated records, the Lindisfarne Gospels gloss, added in the third quarter of the tenth century, has forhuon unbundon gie “why do you untie [it]?” over the Latin “quare soluitis” in Luke.[20][15]

Semantic evolution

The prefix reverses the action of the verb: unbindan “unbind”, undōn “undo, open”.[10] Liebermann's texts of the laws show un- written for on- in ondōn and ontȳnan.[21] In Middle English it was used in many new verbs, while only a few, among them the most common, go back to Old English.[12]

Timeline

  • s. x³/⁴ – unbundon “untied” in the Lindisfarne Gospels gloss.[20][15]
  • s. x ex. – hine unbindan “unbind himself” in Ælfric's Catholic Homilies I.[22][15]

Meanings

Prefix

  1. forms verbs that reverse the action of the simple verb.[10][1][8]

Word family

  • unbindan
  • undōn
  • unlūcan
  • untȳnan
  • unwrēon
  • ungyrdan

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. un-
  3. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 376
  4. ^ Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 469
  5. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. un-
  6. ^ a b Pheifer, J. D. (1974), Old English Glosses in the Épinal-Erfurt Glossary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 125
  7. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 610
  8. ^ a b c d Campbell, A. (1959), Old English Grammar, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. § 75
  9. ^ a b c Hogg, Richard M. (1992), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 1: Phonology, Oxford: Blackwell, p. § 2.91
  10. ^ a b c d e f Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 1088
  11. ^ Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. Suppl. 732
  12. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  13. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  14. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 76
  15. ^ a b c d e Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
  16. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 499
  17. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. on-
  18. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. und-
  19. ^ Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 746
  20. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 291
  21. ^ Liebermann, F. (1906), Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, vol. II.1: Wörterbuch, Halle: Niemeyer, p. 226
  22. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 407