unwritten en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English unwriten, from Old English unwriten, unġewriten (“unwritten”), equivalent to un- + written.
Meanings
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(not-comparable) Not written.
The most important rule is unwritten but not unspoken. It is the rule of pronounceability. Sure, xzyqt looks grand, but how do you say it?
2002 August 25, Erin McKean, “THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 8-25-02: ON LANGUAGE; Neologist”, in The New York Times:
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(not-comparable) Oral or otherwise communicated without writing.
"Our language is unwritten and our history and our deeds are passed down from father to son," Wazir Ghulam Mahdi told me.
1987 October, Galen Rowell, “Baltistan: The 20th Century Comes to Shangri-la”, in National Geographic, volume 172, number 4, page 526:
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(not-comparable) Implicit or understood but not formally articulated.
It's an unwritten rule that you lock the gate when you leave the swimming pool.
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(not-comparable) Containing no writing; blank.
unwritten paper
Deriveds
Translations (41)
el άγραφος (not written) · grc ἄγραφος (not written) · gv gyn screeu (not written) · ja 白紙の (not written) · mk непишан (not written) · ru непи́саный (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · uk непи́саний (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · pt consuetudinário (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · fi kirjoittamaton (containing no writing; blank) · uk непи́саний (not written) · fi kirjoittamaton (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · hu írástalan (containing no writing; blank) · cs nepsaný (not written) · el άγραφος (containing no writing; blank) · ka დაუწერელი (not written) · el άγραφος (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · hi अनलिखा (not written) · ru чи́стый (containing no writing; blank) · fi implisiittinen (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · sh nèpīsān (not written) · hu üres (containing no writing; blank) · fr inécrit (not written) · fi kirjoittamaton (not written) · gv beeal (communicated without writing) · cmn 不成文的 (not written) · ru непи́саный (not written) · as নিলিখা (not written) · no uskreven (not written) · la inscriptus (not written) · sh нѐпӣса̄н (not written) · fi julkilausumaton (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · fi tyhjä (containing no writing; blank) · gv beill (communicated without writing) · ru у́стный (communicated without writing) · hu íratlan (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · de ungeschrieben (not written) · ru негла́сный (implicit or understood but not formally articulated) · el άγραφος (communicated without writing) · ja 書かれていない (not written) · nl ongeschreven (not written) · as লিখা নথকা (not written)