Etymologically
Log in

unfinished

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ʌnˈfɪnɪʃt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + finished, the past participle of finish.[2][3][4][5][6] The verb comes from Old French feniss-, the stem of fenir (“to end”), from Latin fīniō (“to limit; put an end to”), from fīnis (“boundary, end”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not completed, not brought to an end: 1539 in Merriam-Webster,[4] 1553 in the OED, in the records of the Office of the Revels of Edward VI,[2] and the 1550s in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) defined it as incomplete, not brought to an end or to perfection, "wanting the last hand", and quoted Dryden: "I dedicate to you a very unfinished piece."[7] Besides the general sense, it has technical uses for wood, metal or other surfaces left rough without a polish or varnish,[8][4] and for cloth not bleached, dyed or otherwise treated after it comes from the loom.[4][8] The OED records the adjective finished later than unfinished.[2]

Timeline

  • 1539 – not finished, incomplete.[4]
  • 1553 – first OED quotation.[2]
  • 1755 – in Johnson's Dictionary: incomplete, imperfect.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Not finished; not brought to an end or to completion: an unfinished symphony, unfinished business.
  2. Of wood, metal or another surface, left without a polish, varnish or paint; rough.
  3. Of cloth, not bleached, dyed or otherwise processed after weaving; of a worsted, finished with a slight nap.

Word family

  • unfinishedness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins