English
unbegun
Unbegun comes from Middle English unbegunne ‘unbegun: that had no beginning, always existent’, from Old English beginnan ‘begun’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *ginnaną ‘to begin’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ginnaną‘to begin’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*biginnan‘to start, to begin’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150beginnanas begunnen‘begun’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150unbegunnen‘without a beginning’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unbegunne‘unbegun: that had no beginning, always existent’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851unbegun
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ginnaną‘to begin’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*biginnan‘to start, to begin’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150beginnanas begunnen‘begun’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150unbegunnen‘without a beginning’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unbegunne‘unbegun: that had no beginning, always existent’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851unbegun
Earliest quotation: 1851, Herman Melville, The Candles: “Thou knowest not how came ye, hence callest thyself…”
Proto-Indo-European *n̥- ‘not, un-’
Proto-Germanic *un- ‘not, un-’
Proto-West Germanic *un- ‘not, un-’
English un-
Proto-Indo-European *bʰegʷ- ‘to flee’
…
Proto-Slavic *běžàti ‘to be in fast motion, to move/go/drive quickly’
Proto-Slavic *běgati ‘to run’
Proto-Slavic *běgũnъ ‘runner’
Russian бегу́н ‘runner’
English begun
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to take’
yet, guess, prison, surprise, prize, comprehensive, prey, predator, apprentice, comprehend, comprise, comprehension, apprehension, apprehensive, apprehend, reprehensible, predation, reprieve, impresario, impregnable, prehensile, beget, 31 more
through Old English beginnan ‘begun’
Today it means
adj That had no beginning; always existent.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *ginnaną / unbegun