unmet en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˌʌnˈmɛt/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
- /(ˌ)ʌnˈmɛt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
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- English met English unmet From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + met (the past participle of meet (“to come face to face with, encounter; to comply with, satisfy”)); probably related to Old English ungemet (“unmet”) (chiefly used as part of a compound)—the word is not attested in Middle English. Ġemet in ungemet is possibly a past participle form of ġemētan (“to come upon, encounter, meet; to discover, find”).
Meanings
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(archaic, not-comparable) Not met. ▸ Not encountered; unencountered.
O Ancient Knight, thou sleepest then? / While through this poor land range the heathen men, / Unmet of any but my King and Lord: / Nay, let us see the deeds of thine old sword.
1868, William Morris, “August: Ogier the Dane”, in The Earthly Paradise: A Poem, parts [I and II], London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, page 662:VVindes looſe their ſtrength, vvhen they do empty fly, / Vn-met of vvoods or buildings; […]
1603 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, Seianus His Fall, London: […] G[eorge] Elld, for Thomas Thorpe, published 1605, →OCLC, Act V, signature K, verso:
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(figuratively, not-comparable) Not met. ▸ Not achieved; unfulfilled.
One senior CRP [Community Rail Partnership] manager said: "The best thing a CRP can do to help the community is to work to ensure the train service is as relevant and useful as possible to that community (and is well used and stays that way) and that where there is sufficient unmet local need, the service expands to meet it where possible."
2022 March 9, Paul Salveson, “Part of the Community”, in Rail, number 952, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, supplement, pages 30–31: