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unnoticed

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Etymology and origin of the English word unnoticed

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1660 H. Jeanes
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *gno-
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English notice
English unnoticed
From the same root
English noticeable ← notice

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ʌnˈnəʊtɪst/[1]
  • US: /ʌnˈnoʊtɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + notice + -ed,[2][3][4][5] that is, the past participle of the verb with the negative prefix.[3][4][5] The verb is formed from the noun, which is from Anglo-Norman notice,[3][2] from Latin nōtitia (“a being known, knowledge”), from nōtus (“known”), the past participle of nōscō (“to come to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *gno- (“to know”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not noticed: 1660, in a work by H. Jeanes.[2][4] Etymonline dates it to 1720 and the Shorter Oxford to the early 18th century.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed "not observed or regarded".[3][2] The OED also notes an occasional use as a noun, the unnoticed, for what is not noticed or for people who go unnoticed as a class.[2] The Century Dictionary gave a second sense, "not treated with the usual marks of respect".[6] The verb notice itself meant "to notify" at first; its sense "to perceive, become aware of" is attested by 1757 and was long condemned by English purists as an Americanism.[3]

Timeline

  • 1660 – not noticed.[2][4]
  • 1720 – Etymonline's first date.[3]
  • 1757 – the verb notice in the sense to perceive.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not seen, observed or paid attention to: The mistake passed unnoticed for years.[7][4][2][5]

Noun

  1. the unnoticed: what is not noticed, or people who are not noticed.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Whitney, William Dwight, ed. (1889–1891), The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, New York: The Century Co. (1901 printing)
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Unnoticed.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unnoticed. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·