uncertainty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʌnˈsɜːtənti/ (UK); /ʌnˈsɝtənti/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English uncertainte, from uncertain with the suffix -ty,^[2][3] or from un- and certainty.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state of not being definitely known, doubtfulness: about 1380;^[5] the quality of being uncertain in duration or result, 1382.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Something not definitely known, a doubtful point, is from 1387,^[5] and a state of doubt in the mind, irresolution, from 1548.^[5] Something uncertain in occurrence is from 1619.^[5] In law, a deed void for uncertainty is from 1818.^[5] In science, the estimated amount by which a value may differ from the true value is a later sense.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1380 – doubtfulness.^[5]
• 1382 – uncertain duration.^[5]
• 1387 – a doubtful point.^[5]
• 1548 – a state of doubt.^[5]
• 1818 – void for uncertainty.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The state of being uncertain; doubt.
2. Something uncertain.
3. (science) The estimated amount by which a measured or calculated value may differ from the true value.

Word family

• Heisenberg uncertainty principle
• uncertainty principle

Related words

• uncertain
• certainty
• certain
• doubt

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ 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 e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin