unprejudiced
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Meaning
not having or showing an unreasonable dislike or distrust of people or ideas that are different from your own; not biased.
Structure
Usage
she has an unprejudiced view of foreign cultures.
we need an unprejudiced jury to ensure a fair trial.
his analysis was remarkably unprejudiced, considering all the evidence objectively.
Etymology
The word 'unprejudiced' is a layered negation built upon the concept of prejudgment. Its core, 'prejudice', entered English from Old French 'prejudice', which originated from Latin 'praejudicium', a compound of 'prae-' (before) and 'judicium' (judgment). This literally meant a judgment formed before the facts were known. The '-ed' suffix was added to form an adjective meaning 'affected by prejudice'. Finally, the Old English prefix 'un-' was attached to negate the entire concept, creating an adjective that describes the state of not having formed a judgment beforehand, and thus being impartial. The logical progression is from the literal 'before-judgment' to the modern abstract sense of a preconceived opinion, and then to its deliberate absence.
Analysis
un: a prefix of germanic origin, used to form words expressing a negative, reversal, or absence. pre: a prefix from latin 'prae', meaning 'before, in front of, prior to'. judiced: derived from the past participle of the verb 'prejudice', itself from latin 'praejudicium' meaning 'prior judgment'. the '-ed' suffix forms a participial adjective.