unannounced
Meaning
happening or done without being announced or told to people beforehand
Structure
Usage
the celebrity made an unannounced visit to the local hospital.
the meeting ended with his unannounced departure.
the software update was installed unannounced, causing some confusion.
Etymology
The word 'unannounced' is a Modern English formation built upon the older verb 'announce'. The core verb 'announce' entered English from Old French 'annoncer', which itself descended from Latin 'annuntiare', meaning "to report, make known". The Latin term is a compound of 'ad-' (to) and 'nuntiare' (to report, from 'nuntius', messenger). The English prefix 'un-', of ancient Germanic lineage, is attached to negate the meaning, creating the sense "not made known". The suffix '-ed' is then added, following a common English pattern for forming participial adjectives, to describe the state of not having been announced. Thus, the word's literal construction transparently conveys its meaning: "in the state of not having been made known".
Analysis
- un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english) meaning "not". - announce: a verb from latin 'annuntiare', via old french 'annoncer', meaning "to make known publicly". - ed: a suffix of germanic origin (old english) used to form adjectives from verbs, indicating a state or condition.