*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of unpin

Etymology tree English un- Proto-Germanic *pinnaz Proto-West Germanic *pinn Old English pinn Middle English pinne English pin English unpin From un- + pin.

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 unfasten by removing a pin. · To detach (an icon, application, etc.) from the place where it was previously pinned. · To undo the pinning or fixing of (an array in memory, a security certificate, etc.) so that it can be modified again. · To get (a piece) out of a pin.

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

Etymology tree English un- Proto-Germanic *pinnaz Proto-West Germanic *pinn Old English pinn Middle English pinne English pin English unpin From un- + pin.

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:reversal prefix>",
        "4": "pin",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish un-\nProto-Germanic *pinnaz\nProto-West Germanic *pinn\nOld English pinn\nMiddle English pinne\nEnglish pin\nEnglish unpin\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*pinn\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"pinn\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"pinne\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"pin\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"unpin\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"unpin\">\nFrom un- + pin."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "un-<id:reversal prefix>",
        "4": "pin",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ent-\nProto-Indo-European *-s\nProto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder.\nProto-Germanic *anda-\nProto-West Germanic *anda-\nOld English and-\nOld English on-\nMiddle English on-\nEnglish un-\nProto-Germanic *pinnaz\nProto-West Germanic *pinn\nOld English pinn\nMiddle English pinne\nEnglish pin\nEnglish unpin\nFrom un- + pin."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_reversal_prefix"
    ],
    [
      "*pinnaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/pinnaz"
    ],
    [
      "*pinn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/pinn"
    ],
    [
      "pinn",
      "pinn#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "pinne",
      "pinne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pin",
      "pin#English"
    ],
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_reversal_prefix"
    ],
    [
      "pin",
      "pin#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To unfasten by removing a pin.",
        "To detach (an icon, application, etc.) from the place where it was previously pinned.",
        "To undo the pinning or fixing of (an array in memory, a security certificate, etc.) so that it can be modified again.",
        "To get (a piece) out of a pin."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "b4acf804362556f644f6d146a0343f8f40443e56393af08a1461d795ac7d9603",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f523d827ba163caca304d3d84798cad762f065c8c2baeb68704a19820440152b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1222790
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 unpin →

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-dW5waW4