Unsurrounded

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not enclosed, bordered or encircled on any side by walls, fences, or other things
2. Lacking any barrier, ring, or boundary that would close it in on every side
3. Left open and free, with nothing surrounding or enclosing it from any direction

Etymology: "Unsurrounded" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "surrounded," the past participle of "surround." The prefix traces back through Old English and Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root for negation, the same ancestor shared by the Latin "in-" and Greek "a-" that also mean "not," though English got its "un-" through the Germanic branch rather than borrowing it from Latin or Greek. The base "surround" is the more interesting part of the chain. It was built on the idea of overflowing or flowing around, so a surrounded thing is one that has been enclosed on all sides, and "unsurrounded" simply describes something that lacks such enclosure. Because the prefix is productive, speakers can attach "un-" to many participles, which is why the word feels transparent and needs no special history to explain it.

Synonyms: unenclosed, unbounded

Antonyms: surrounded, enclosed