English
innominable
Innominable comes from Latin innominabilis ‘nameless, unnamed’, from nōminābilis ‘nameable’, and ultimately from Hittite ḫannaⁱ- ‘to sue, judge’.
- Hittitemodernḫannaⁱ-transliteratedcuneiform ḫannaⁱ-, a transliteration‘to sue, judge’
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁nómn̥‘name’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nōmn̥‘name’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōmen‘name’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminō‘I name’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminābilis‘nameable’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnominabilis‘nameless, unnamed’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500innominable
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1384same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Hittitemodernḫannaⁱ-transliteratedcuneiform ḫannaⁱ-, a transliteration‘to sue, judge’
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁nómn̥‘name’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nōmn̥‘name’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōmen‘name’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminō‘I name’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōminābilis‘nameable’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnominabilis‘nameless, unnamed’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500innominable
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1384same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1384, Thomas Usk: “Your fathers toforne you have cleped such lusty lyvenges…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ ‘name’
name, anonymity, pseudonym, 30 more
through Latin nōmen ‘name’
noun, renown, nominal, nomen, ignominious, ignominy, 18 more
through Latin nōminō ‘I name’
nomination, allocate, nominate, misnomer, nominative, 8 more
Today it means
adj Not to be named.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Hittite ḫannaⁱ- / innominable