unannounced

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + announced,^[2][3][4][5] the past participle of announce.^[3][5][4] Announce is from Old French anoncier (“to announce, proclaim”), from Latin annūntiō (“to make known, bring news to”), formed from ad- (“to”) and nūntiō (“to relate, report”), from nūntius (“messenger”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not announced: 1775, in John Ash's dictionary,^[3][6] the date that the 1989 edition of the OED also gave.^[6] The current OED's first quotation is from Walter Scott's The Talisman (1825),^[2] and the Shorter Oxford dates the word to the late 18th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its plain negative sense, "not announced".^[5][2] It is used especially of visits and arrivals made without warning, often after a verb, as in showing up unannounced.^[4][7]

Timeline

• 1775 – not announced, recorded in John Ash's dictionary.^[3][6] The OED's first quotation is from Walter Scott's The Talisman (1825).^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Not made known publicly or declared in advance: an unannounced inspection.^[7][5][4]
2. Without warning; unexpectedly, often after a verb: The landlord turned up unannounced.^[4][7]

Related words

• announce
• annunciation

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins