Definitions|Principles|Right|Words and Phrases

What is Unalienable?

- by
- Reading Time: 2 minutes

To understand or comprehend this word you need to see how it came to be. Unalienable is the joining of two words;

1610s, from un- (1) “not” + alienable. Related: Unalienably.

Let’s Look at alienable (adj.)

“that can be surrendered or given up,” 1610s; from obsolete alien (v.), for which see alienate, + -able. Related: Alienability.

Now let’s look at Un-;

(1.) prefix of negation, Old English un-, from Proto-Germanic *un- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German, German un-, Gothic un-, Dutch on-), from PIE *n- (source of Sanskrit a-, an- “not,” Greek a-, an-, Old Irish an-, Latin in-), combining form of PIE root *ne- “not.” Often euphemistic (such as untruth for “lie”).

The most prolific of English prefixes, freely and widely used in Old English, where it forms more than 1,000 compounds. It underwent a mass extinction in early Middle English, but emerged with renewed vigor 16c. to form compounds with native and imported words. It disputes with Latin-derived cognate in- (1) the right to form the negation of certain words (indigestable/undigestable, etc.), and though both might be deployed in cooperation to indicate shades of meaning (unfamous/infamous), typically they are not.

It also makes words from phrases (such as uncalled-for, c. 1600; undreamed-of, 1630s; uncome-at-able, 1690s; unputdownable, 1947, of a book; un-in-one-breath-utterable, Ben Jonson; etc., but the habit is not restricted to un-; such as put-up-able-with, 1812). As a prefix in telegramese to replace not and save the cost of a word, it is attested by 1936.

Unalienable in Law is also termed inalienable. This is defined as follows;

inalienable adj. (17c) Not transferable or assignable <inalienable property interests>. — Also termed unalienable.

Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019)
This word is also the joining of two words. as you can see here;
“that cannot be given up,” 1640s, from in- (1) “not, opposite of” + alienable (adj.). Perhaps from French inaliénable (16c.). Related: Inalienably; Inalienability.
To comprehend the meaning of in- there are two meanings for this prefix;
(1.) word-forming element meaning “not, opposite of, without” (also im-, il-, ir- by assimilation of -n- with following consonant, a tendency which began in later Latin), from Latin in- “not,” cognate with Greek an-, Old English un-, all from PIE root *ne- “not.”

In Old French and Middle English often en-, but most of these forms have not survived in Modern English, and the few that do (enemy, for instance) no longer are felt as negative. The rule of thumb in English has been to use in- with obviously Latin elements, un- with native or nativized ones.

To comprehend what is a unalienable Right first go review the definition of Right linked here.

 

 

Follow Pastor oftheway:
Comments are closed.