unsecured
Meaning
not made secure or safe
(of a loan) made without an asset given as security
Structure
Usage
the door was left unsecured overnight.
he took out an unsecured loan to start his business.
the data was stored on an unsecured server, making it vulnerable to attack.
Etymology
The word 'unsecured' is a Modern English formation built upon the core adjective 'secure'. 'secure' itself entered English from Latin 'securus', a compound of 'se-' (apart, without) and 'cura' (care), literally meaning "free from care". The negative prefix 'un-', of Germanic origin, is one of the most productive in English for forming opposites. The suffix '-ed' is added to the root to create a participial adjective, following a common English pattern. Therefore, 'unsecured' logically constructs its meaning from its parts: not (un-) made safe or free from risk (secure) in its state (-ed), directly applicable to both physical safety and financial risk.
Analysis
- un: a prefix of english origin (from old english) meaning "not". - secure: a root of latin origin (from securus) meaning "safe, free from care". - ed: a suffix of english origin used to form adjectives from verbs or nouns.