Etymograph

English

unanimous

Unanimous comes from Latin ūnanimus ‘of one mind’, from Proto-Italic *anamos ‘breath’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-1‘to breathe’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos1‘breath’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamos1‘breath’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimus1‘conscience, intellect, mind, reason, sensibility, understanding’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnanimus1‘of one mind’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1873unanimous1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English unanimous
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1873, Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie: “That of their small force, some of the soldiers…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-Wiktionary, English unanimous‘to breathe’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mosWiktionary, English unanimous‘breath’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamosWiktionary, English unanimous‘breath’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimusWiktionary, English unanimous‘conscience, intellect, mind, reason, sensibility, understanding’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnanimusWiktionary, English unanimous‘of one mind’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1873unanimousWiktionary, English unanimous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1873, Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie: “That of their small force, some of the soldiers…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- ‘to breathe’

and, asthma, inhale, exhalation, anima, onde, prana, 18 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos ‘breath’

anemone, 12 more

through Latin animus ‘conscience, intellect, mind, reason,…’

animal, anime, animate, animosity, animator, animus, 11 more

Today it means

adj Based on unanimity, assent or agreement.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “unanimous”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- / unanimous

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