Etymology

unfriendly

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Today it means: Not friendly; hostile; mean. Full definition →

Middle English unfrendly ← Old English *unfrēondlīċ
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unfriendly · adjective, noun1

  1. Old English · inherited from*unfrēondlīċ
  2. Middle English · inherited fromunfrendly
  3. English todayunfriendly

From Middle English unfrendly, unfrendli, unfrendely, from Old English *unfrēondlīċ (suggested by derivative unfrēondlīċe (“in an unfriendly manner; unfriendly”, adverb)), equivalent to un- + friendly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uunfrüntelk, uunfjuntelk (“unfriendly”), West Frisian ûnfreonlik (“unfriendly”), Dutch onvriendelijk (“unfriendly”), German Low German unfrünnelk (“unfriendly”), German unfreundlich (“unfriendly”), Faroese ófryntligur (“unfriendly”), Icelandic ófrýnilegur (“ugly; disturbing”).

unfriendly · adverb2

  1. Old English · inherited fromunfrēondlīċe“in an unfriendly manner”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromunfrendli
  3. English todayunfriendly

From Middle English unfrendli, from Old English unfrēondlīċe (“in an unfriendly manner”), equivalent to unfriend + -ly.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.