unbroken
Meaning
not broken, damaged, or interrupted; whole and continuous.
(of a record or sequence) not surpassed or improved upon.
(of a horse or other animal) not tamed or trained.
Structure
Usage
after the earthquake, a few windows remained miraculously unbroken.
the athlete's unbroken winning streak lasted for three full seasons.
the wild mustang was proud and unbroken, resisting all attempts to saddle it.
Etymology
The word 'unbroken' is a straightforward English compound formed by adding the native Germanic negative prefix 'un-' to the past participle 'broken.' The root 'break' traces back to Proto-Germanic brekaną, itself from the Proto-Indo-European root bhreg-, meaning "to break." The literal sense of "not broken" has expanded metaphorically to describe anything that remains whole, intact, or uninterrupted, such as a continuous record, a lineage, or an untamed spirit. Its logic perfectly illustrates how English uses its most basic morphological tools to create a clear antonym, with the prefix simply inverting the state described by the root word.
Analysis
- un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english un-) meaning "not," functioning as a negative particle. - broken: the past participle form of the verb "break," from old english brecan, meaning "to separate into parts violently."