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Etymology and origin of the English word unrelated

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1611, T. Coryate, Odcombian Banquet

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌʌnrɪˈleɪtɪd/, /ˌʌnrəˈleɪtɪd/[1]
  • US: /ˌʌnrɪˈleɪt̬ɪd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed in English from un- and related,[2][3] the past participle of the verb relate.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not told or narrated: 1611, in Thomas Coryate's Odcombian Banquet; this sense is now rare.[2][3] Etymonline dates unrelated to the 1660s, as "not akin".[4]

Semantic evolution

The word followed the senses of related: having no connection with something (1651) and not connected by blood or marriage (1657).[2] Etymonline dates the meaning "not told" to 1764.[4] In biology it has been used since 1861 of species or lineages that share no recent common ancestor.[2]

Timeline

  • 1611 – not told or narrated.[2]
  • 1651 – having no connection.[2]
  • 1657 – not connected by blood or marriage.[2]
  • 1861 – (biology) not sharing a recent common ancestor.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Having no connection with something else: The two fires had unrelated causes.
  2. Not belonging to the same family; not connected by birth or marriage.
  3. (rare) Not told or narrated.

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 Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Unrelated.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unrelated. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·