*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of unset

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 set English unset From un- + set.

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 not set.

adj

Not set; not fixed or appointed. · Not mounted or placed in a setting. · Not set. · Not planted.

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 set English unset From un- + set.

This page abbreviates 1 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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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "un-<id:negative>",
        "4": "set<id:fixed in position>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
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    }
  ],
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      "*né",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/né#Proto-Indo-European:_not"
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      "*n̥-",
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      "*un-",
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    ],
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      "*un-",
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    ],
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      "un-",
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    ],
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      "un-",
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    ],
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      "un-",
      "un-#English:_negative"
    ],
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      "set",
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    ],
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      "set",
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    ]
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  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make not set."
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Not set; not fixed or appointed.",
        "Not mounted or placed in a setting.",
        "Not set.",
        "Not planted."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
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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 unset →

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-dW5zZXQ