*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of unsex

From un- + sex.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary 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 deprive of sexual attributes or characteristics. · To sterilize (deprive of the ability to procreate); to castrate.

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

From un- + sex.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "un-<id:reversal prefix>",
        "4": "sex<id:reproductive category>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From un- + sex."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "un-<id:reversal prefix>",
        "4": "sex<id:reproductive category>",
        "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-Indo-European *sek-der.\nProto-Indo-European *séks-u-sder.\nProto-Italic *seksus\nProto-Indo-European *sek-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *sékh₁yeti\nProto-Italic *sekaō\nLatin secō\nLatin secāre?\nLatin sexusder.\nOld French sexeder.\nMiddle English sexe\nEnglish sex\nEnglish unsex\nFrom un- + sex."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "un-",
      "un-#English:_reversal_prefix"
    ],
    [
      "sex",
      "sex#English:_reproductive_category"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To deprive of sexual attributes or characteristics.",
        "To sterilize (deprive of the ability to procreate); to castrate."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "802f7057ca94ca99d2291b17201b8a9b8405a9b653821ee55fb6bdb074847713",
      "rawRecordSha256": "76d4e69bc44487725a103e890c76ef193e7ed9cac4369ad733cd5cea1e955737",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1422100
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "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 unsex →

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-dW5zZXg