Unpatrolled

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing an area, border or street that has no officers, guards or watchers moving through it to keep order or security
2. Left without regular surveillance, so that no one is routinely checking or guarding the place
3. Not covered by any patrol, meaning nobody is making rounds to observe or protect the location

Etymology: "Unpatrolled" is simply "un-" attached to "patrolled," the past participle of "patrol." The prefix "un-" is an Old English negating element meaning "not," so the word describes something that has not been watched over or guarded by patrol. Its parts are easy to trace: "patrol" comes from the French "patrouiller," meaning to paddle or wade through mud, a sense that grew from the idea of tramping about on foot. The "un-" prefix is productive, meaning English speakers can freely add it to many verbs and participles to form a negative, so "unpatrolled" was built as needed rather than inherited as a fixed unit. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: an area, border, or route where no patrol is present or where regular checking has not taken place.

Synonyms: unguarded, unwatched, unmonitored

Antonyms: patrolled