Unwont

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Unaccustomed or not according to one's regular habit or the normal way of doing something
2. Contrary to what is ordinarily done or to someone's customary practice
3. Falling outside one's usual practice or the ordinary manner in which something is done

Etymology: "Unwont" is an archaic English word meaning "unaccustomed" or "not customary," formed by adding the prefix "un-" to "wont." The prefix "un-" is an Old English negating element that has been attached to countless native words, from "unhappy" to "undo," so here it simply reverses the sense of the base word. The base word "wont" is the more interesting half. It once served as a noun meaning "habit" or "custom," and it appears in Old English as "gewuna," a word connected to the idea of being used to something. Over time "wont" became chiefly an adjective, as in "wont to do something," meaning accustomed or inclined to do it. Its history as a habit-word has been comparatively steady, which is why the negated form reads so naturally: to be unwont to something is to be not used to it.

Synonyms: unusual, uncommon, rare

Antonyms: common, usual, frequent