Unmake
/ʌnˈmeɪk/noun
To destroy, reverse, or undo something that has been made.
Did you know?The prefix un- is one of English’s oldest reversal tools, and in older usage unmake could mean not just to undo, but to strip someone of status, power, or identity.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
unmacian
“to undo, destroy, or disassemble”
Old English
OE
un-
“a prefix meaning not, opposite of, or reversal of”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*un-
“negative or reversative prefix”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*n̥-
“a negative prefix”
Middle English
English
unmaken
“to undo, destroy, or reverse the making of something”
Modern English
English
unmake
“to destroy, reverse, or undo something that has been made”