English word origin

Etymology of unlaw

From Middle English unlawe, unlaȝ, unlage, from Old English unlagu (“violation of law, illegality, injustice, lawlessness”), equivalent to un- (“lack or absence of”) + law.

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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A crime, an illegal action. · Absence of law; lawlessness. · A fine exacted from a transgressor of the law.

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

From Middle English unlawe, unlaȝ, unlage, from Old English unlagu (“violation of law, illegality, injustice, lawlessness”), equivalent to un- (“lack or absence of”) + law.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionunlaweenm
Inherited-form mentionunlaguang · violation of law, illegality, injustice, lawlessness
Word-formation componentun-en · lack or absence of
Word-formation componentlawen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "unlawe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English unlawe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "unlagu",
        "t": "violation of law, illegality, injustice, lawlessness"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English unlagu (“violation of law, illegality, injustice, lawlessness”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "un-",
        "3": "law",
        "id1": "negative",
        "t1": "lack or absence of"
      },
      "expansion": "un- (“lack or absence of”) + law"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "unlawe",
      "unlawe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "unlaȝ",
      "unlaȝ#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "unlage",
      "unlage#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "unlagu",
      "unlagu#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_negative"
    ],
    [
      "law",
      "law#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A crime, an illegal action.",
        "Absence of law; lawlessness.",
        "A fine exacted from a transgressor of the law."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "70804649f9069f1ad39ec091c5ac3847d56802b36ade83f985df31c6f9aa7773",
      "rawRecordSha256": "010f23e003f0d23b500c4d8ffc01b5b329eebbedb4aad6beeec0ec9929bd4cca",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2472199
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To deprive of the authority or character of law. · To put beyond the protection of the law; to outlaw. · To fine.

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

From un- (“reversal, undoing”) + law.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Word-formation componentun-en · reversal, undoing
Word-formation componentlawen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "un-",
        "3": "law",
        "id1": "reversive",
        "t1": "reversal, undoing"
      },
      "expansion": "un- (“reversal, undoing”) + law"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_reversive"
    ],
    [
      "law",
      "law#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To deprive of the authority or character of law.",
        "To put beyond the protection of the law; to outlaw.",
        "To fine."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "adb61793f5df2831877e3e08d0b2948642fd2c1230e7e348fc084c1b642b9f71",
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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 unlaw →

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-dW5sYXc