irresolute

the word 'irresolute' is a direct borrowing from late latin 'irresolutus', meaning 'not loosened'. it is formed by adding the negative prefix 'in-' (which assimilates to 'ir-' before 'r') to the latin 'resolutus', the source of 'resolute'. the core root 'solvere' (to loosen, release, solve) is from proto-indo-european se-lu-, from leu- (to loosen, divide, cut apart). the literal sense of being 'not loosened again' evolved logically: something 'resolved' is figuratively 'loosened' or freed from doubt, so being 'irresolute' describes a state of not being freed from uncertainty, leading to its modern meaning of indecisiveness.

Structure: ir (not) + re (again) + solute (loosened) ir- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'not'); re- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'again' or 'back'); solute (from latin 'solutus', the past participle of 'solvere', meaning 'to loosen' or 'release').