Unpaired word

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An unpaired word is one that, according to the usual rules of the language, would appear to have a related word but does not. Such words usually have a prefix or suffix that would imply that there is an antonym, with the prefix or suffix being absent or opposite.

Many unpaired words are the result of one of the words disappearing from popular usage, though others were never part of a pairing and just begin with the same letters as used in common prefixes.

Contents

[edit] Unpaired words in English

[edit] Prefixes

Word Paired word(s) Notes
Disambiguate *Ambiguate Not a word; derived from dis- + ambigu(ous) + -ate in the mid-20th century
Disconsolate Consolate Derived from the Latin consolatus; rarely used
Disheveled, Dishevelled *Sheveled, *Shevelled Not a word; from the Old French deschevelé
Indomitable Domitable Rarely used antonym
Ineffable Effable Rarely used antonym
Innocent Nocent Not an exact antonym; rarely used
Innocuous Nocuous Rarely used antonym
Uncouth Couth Derived from Old English word cunnan meaning "well-known" or "familiar"; rarely used
Ungainly Gainly Rarely used antonym
Unkempt Kempt Rarely used antonym
Unruly Ruly Rarely used antonym
Unstinting Stinting Rarely used antonym
Untoward Toward Not an antonym
Unwieldy Wieldy Rarely used antonym


[edit] Humorous unpaired words

The quote "if con is the opposite of pro, is congress the opposite of progress?" is not attributed to any individual but is frequently repeated, being mentioned by Forbes magazine [1] amongst others. Congress is from the Middle English congresse meaning a body of attendants, (Latin congressus, meaning a meeting), and progress is from Middle English progresse (Latin prōgressus) meaning to advance. Here, pro and con are in fact not opposite, with con meaning "together" and pro meaning "supporting" or "in place of" (while in other contexts con, or contr- can mean "against").

[edit] See also

Look up Appendix:Prefixes, Appendix:Suffixes in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

[edit] References