unfired
Meaning
(of clay or a ceramic object) not hardened by heat in a kiln.
(of a gun) not having had a bullet or shell discharged from it.
Structure
Usage
the potter kept a shelf of unfired greenware ready for the next kiln firing.
for safety during transport, all weapons were confirmed to be unfired.
the archaeological site contained both fired bricks and unfired clay tablets.
Etymology
The word "unfired" is a Modern English compound formed from native Germanic elements. The prefix "un-", with its ancient and persistent meaning of negation or reversal, is attached to the past participle "fired" of the verb "to fire". The verb "fire" itself has a complex history, originating from the Old English "fȳr" (the noun for the element) and evolving to encompass meanings related to applying heat (as in firing pottery) and discharging weapons (as in firing a gun). Thus, "unfired" logically denotes the state of not having undergone either of these processes, preserving the literal sense of its components in its contemporary definitions.
Analysis
un- (old english, a prefix meaning "not"); fire (old english, from the verb meaning "to set on fire, to bake, or to discharge a weapon"); -ed (old english, a suffix forming adjectives from verbs or nouns, indicating a state or condition).