Etymology

unethical

U1N1E1T1H4I1C3A1L1

Today it means: Breaching the established standards of conduct or behavior within a particular organization or profession. Full definition →

First used 20th c.English ethical ← Middle English un- ← Old English un-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishethical
  9. English todayunethical

From un- + ethical.

First known use, by meaning

  • 20th c. Breaching the established standards of conduct or behavior within a particular organization or profession.
  • 19th c. Immoral, morally wrong.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.