*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of union

From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To combine sets using the union operation.

adj

Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise pertaining to a labour union. · federal.

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

From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionunyounenm
  • Derivation mentionunionfro
  • Derivation mentionūnusla · one
  • Doublet mentionunioen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "unyoun"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "union"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French union"
    },
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        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "ūniō",
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      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "la",
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        "t": "one"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ūnus (“one”)"
    },
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        "2": "unio"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of unio"
    }
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      "unyoun#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "union",
      "union#Old_French"
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      "ūniō, ūniōnem",
      "unio#Latin"
    ],
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      "ūnus",
      "unus#Latin"
    ],
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      "unio",
      "unio#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To combine sets using the union operation."
      ],
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        "Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise pertaining to a labour union.",
        "federal."
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one. · The state of being united or joined; a state of unity or harmony. · Something united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league. · A trade union; a workers' union.

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

From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionunyounenm
  • Derivation mentionunionfro
  • Derivation mentionūnusla · one
  • Doublet mentionunioen

This page abbreviates 8 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "unio"
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      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "ইউনিয়ন",
      "raw_tags": [
        "learned borrowing",
        "learned"
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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 union →

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-dW5pb24