unbefriended en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- Proto-Indo-European *preyH- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *priHós Proto-Germanic *frijōną Proto-Germanic *frijōndz Proto-West Germanic *friund Old English frēond Middle English frend English friend English befriended English unbefriended From un- + befriended.
Meanings
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Not befriended; lacking friends.
But the Lord of Men allowed me to behold an ancient sword shining on the wall - for he often helps the unbefriended - a weapon made for giants, there for the wielding.
1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 54:I found him, lonely and unbefriended, the very next night after our talk, at the Dugald Delane's dinner.
[1889 January], Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere. II. Showing What was Born of the Great Idea.”, in Under the Deodars (A. H. Wheeler & Co.’s Indian Railway Library; no. 4), Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh: A[rthur] H[enry] Wheeler & Co.; London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 18:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more unbefriended | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most unbefriended | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |