*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of unfit

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English fit English unfit From un- + fit.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To make unfit; to render unsuitable, spoil, disqualify.

adj

Not fit; not having the correct requirements. · Not fit, not having a good physical demeanor. · Unsuitable for a particular purpose.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English fit English unfit From un- + fit.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "un-<id:negative>",
        "4": "fit<id:suitable>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *né\nProto-Indo-European *n̥-\nProto-Germanic *un-\nProto-West Germanic *un-\nOld English un-\nMiddle English un-\nEnglish un-\nEnglish fit\nEnglish unfit\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*un-\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*un-\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"un-\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"un-\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"un-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"suitable\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"fit\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"unfit\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"unfit\">\nFrom un- + fit."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "un-<id:negative>",
        "4": "fit<id:suitable>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *né\nProto-Indo-European *n̥-\nProto-Germanic *un-\nProto-West Germanic *un-\nOld English un-\nMiddle English un-\nEnglish un-\nMiddle English fit?\nEnglish fit\nEnglish unfit\nFrom un- + fit."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*né",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/né#Proto-Indo-European:_not"
    ],
    [
      "*n̥-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/n̥-#Proto-Indo-European:_not"
    ],
    [
      "*un-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/un-#Proto-Germanic:_not"
    ],
    [
      "*un-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/un-#Proto-West_Germanic:_not"
    ],
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#Old_English:_not"
    ],
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#Middle_English:_not"
    ],
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_negative"
    ],
    [
      "fit",
      "fit#English:_suitable"
    ],
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_negative"
    ],
    [
      "fit",
      "fit#English:_suitable"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make unfit; to render unsuitable, spoil, disqualify."
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Not fit; not having the correct requirements.",
        "Not fit, not having a good physical demeanor.",
        "Unsuitable for a particular purpose."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "often"
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for unfit →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dW5maXQ