Uncanny
/ʌnˈkæni/noun
Strange or mysterious, often in an unsettling way.
Did you know?The term 'uncanny' is linked to the German word 'unheimlich', meaning 'unhomely', evoking feelings of alienation and the supernatural.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“to produce, to beget, to create.”
Old English
Old English
cænne
“bold, knowing, clever.”
Middle English
Middle English
uncanny
“not familiar, strange, unsettling.”
19th Century
English
uncanny
“evocative of fear or unease, often in relation to the supernatural.”