Unfinished

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ʌnˈfɪnɪʃt/

Definitions

1. Not fully completed | left imperfect or in progress | lacking a conclusion or final stage
2. Lacking completion or still in progress | remaining not fully done | having an absence of completion or ending
3. Not brought to a finished state | still open-ended or incomplete | not yet fully developed or resolved

Etymology: This term is a straightforward compound, built from the prefix "un-" attached to "finished." The prefix "un-" is a native English element, dating back to Old English, used to negate or reverse the meaning of the word it modifies. "Finished" itself is derived from the verb "finish," which entered Middle English from Old French "finir," ultimately tracing to Latin "finire," meaning "to end, to limit," from "finis" for "end." The logic behind the construction is transparent: to be "unfinished" is simply to not be finished, to remain incomplete or in progress. The word likely arose in English sometime after "finish" became established in the late Middle Ages, and it follows a productive pattern in English for forming adjectives by prefixing "un-" to participles. Its meaning has remained stable, always referring to something left incomplete or undone.

Synonyms: incomplete, uncompleted, pending

Antonyms: finished, completed, done