undetected
Meaning
not discovered or noticed
Structure
Usage
the spy moved through the compound undetected.
a significant number of cyber attacks go undetected for months.
the disease can remain undetected for years without symptoms.
Etymology
The word 'undetected' is a Modern English formation built upon the verb 'detect'. The core verb 'detect' originates from the Latin 'detegere', meaning "to uncover or remove a roof", which itself is composed of 'de-' (off, away) and 'tegere' (to cover). This literal sense of uncovering evolved metaphorically into the meaning of discovering something hidden. The English prefix 'un-', of Germanic origin, is added to negate the state, and the adjectival suffix '-ed' is appended to indicate the condition. Thus, the word logically constructs the meaning of "not having been uncovered or discovered".
Analysis
un: old english, a prefix meaning "not". detect: latin, from 'detectus', the past participle of 'detegere' meaning "to uncover, reveal". ed: old english, a suffix forming adjectives from verbs, indicating a state or condition.