uni-
Forms
ūni-[1] Before a vowel it appears as ūn- (ūnanimus).[2][3]
Etymology
It is from Latin ūnus (“one”), the form the numeral takes as the first part of a compound.[1][2] The OLD explains each such compound from the numeral and the second word (ūnicornis “one-horned” from the numeral and the word for horn).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Plautus (c. 250–184 BC) has ūnisubsellium, a bench for one person, and ūnoculus “one-eyed”.[3][4]
Semantic evolution
Pliny the Elder has a series of descriptive adjectives such as ūnicaulis “with a single stem”, ūnistirpis “with a single trunk” and ūnicornis “with a single horn”, and inscriptions praise a wife as ūnivira, one who has had only one husband.[3]
English took uni- with many words borrowed from French and Latin; it was not active in Middle English, and its use with English words became established in the 19th century.[2]
Timeline
- c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses ūnisubsellium and ūnoculus.[3][4]
- 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses ūnicornis and ūnicaulis.[3][4]
- 19th century – English forms new words with uni-.[2]
Meanings
Prefix
Word family
- ūnicornis
- ūniformis
- ūnicolor
- ūnicaulis
- ūnistirpis
- ūnimanus
- ūnigena
- ūnimodus
- ūnivira
- ūnisubsellium
- ūnoculus
- ūnanimus
Related words
- ūnus
- English uni-
References
- ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de