unimportant
Meaning
lacking in importance or significance; not important.
Structure
Usage
the details he provided were interesting but ultimately unimportant to the main investigation.
she felt her opinion was unimportant in the face of such strong opposition.
it's an unimportant mistake that can be easily corrected.
Etymology
the word "unimportant" is a straightforward english formation, combining the native english negative prefix "un-" with the adjective "important." the prefix "un-" derives from old english "un-," which has a direct lineage from the proto-germanic un- and ultimately from the proto-indo-European n̥-, meaning "not." the core adjective "important" entered english from middle french "important," which itself came from medieval latin "important-," the present participle stem of "importare," meaning "to be of consequence, to signify." the literal latin meaning of "importare" was "to bring in, carry in" (from "in-" + "portare," "to carry"), but its sense evolved in medieval latin to signify "to imply, be of consequence." therefore, "unimportant" logically constructs its meaning from its parts: "not" + "of consequence."
Analysis
un- (old english, a prefix meaning "not"); important (from latin through french, meaning "significant, of consequence").