Etymograph

English

unnumbered

Unnumbered comes from Middle English unnoumbird, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *nem-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nem-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unnoumbird1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1931unnumbered1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English unnumbered
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1931, Frank Houghton, The Unfinished Task: “Unnumbered souls are dying / And pass into the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nem-Wiktionary, English unnumberedroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unnoumbirdWiktionary, English unnumbered
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1931unnumberedWiktionary, English unnumbered. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1931, Frank Houghton, The Unfinished Task: “Unnumbered souls are dying / And pass into the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *nem-

number, numerous, nomadic, nomad, numb, nim, nome, numeric, innumerable, naam, numeral, enumeration, numeracy, luma, numero, enumerate, numismatics, numerator, 23 more

Today it means

adj Not identified with a number.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “unnumbered”. 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 *nem- / unnumbered

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